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INGERSOLL 

ANSWERED FROM THE BIBLE, 

AND 

INGERSOLL against HIMSELF: 

BEING A 

Refutation of "Infidelity," 

IN DEFENSE OF THE 

WORD OF GOD. 

THE ONLY REPLY TO ALL OF MR. INGERSOLL' S 
"AUTHORIZED" WORKS EVER PUBLISHED. 

-BY- ^ 

REV. OLIN MARVIN OWEN, 

UTIOA, 3ST. TZ\ 




SARATOGA SPRINGS : 
JOHN JOHNSON & CO. 

1886. 






Entered according: to Act of Congress, in the office of the Librarian 
of Congress, at Washington, D. C, by 

OLIN MARVIN OWEN, 

In the year of our Lord, 1886. All rights reserved. 



INTRODUCTION. 



Tlie Bible is its best defender when permitted 
to speak. Many of its assailants have shown 
great ignorance of its contents. 

A candid and careful perusal, such as wonld 
be given to a legal document where a fortune 
is involved, would convert any man who ever 
wrote against it. Much has been written in 
reply to the arguments of R. G. Ingersoll 
against the Scriptures. 

Why another volume \ 

1. While there have been Replies to single 
Lectures, we have never seen a general Reply 
to all of his Lectures or Books against the 
Bible. 

2. Many of the Replies have not only been 
confined to some one Lecture, but to unauthor- 
ized reports of the same, published in news- 
papers or elsewhere, which reports were not 
officially endorsed by him. 



IV INTRODUCTION. 

COL. INGERSOLL'S NOTE TO THE PUBLIC. 

Washington, D. C, July 10, 1880. 
I wish to notify the public that all books and pamphlets 
purporting to contain my Lectures, and not containing the 
imprint of Mr. C. P. Farrell as publisher, are spurious. * * 
I take this course to warn the public that these publica- 
tions are fraudulent, the only correct editions being those 

published by Mr. C. P. Farrell. 

Robert G. Ingersoll. 

We have secured from Mr. C. P. Farrell 
copies of the following works : 

The Gods aud Other Lectures, The Ghosts 
and Other Lectures, Some Mistakes of Moses, 
IngersolV s Interviews on Talmage, What Must 
We Do to be Saved, The Christian Religion, 
or Ingersoll- Black Controversy, Orthodoxy, 
and Ingersoll Catechised. 

In these "Correct Editions" Mr. Ingersoll 
cannot evade his statements. 

3. His self-contradictions are exposed, Inger- 
soll in one Lecture being quoted against Inger- 
soll in the same or in another Lecture. 

4. The Bible is allowed to speak first in its 
own defense, in reply to Ingersoll, and is made 
a prominent witness as in no other work. 

The Bible never suffers from fair attacks 



INTRODUCTION. V 

upon it, and one cannot hope to gain much for 
his cause by misrepresentation. 

5. As Infidelity is constantly assailing the 
Scriptures, there is necessity of a continual 
refutation. It is not merely Ingersoll's state- 
ments that we attack, but also the system of 
Infidelity of which he is an exponent. 

6. Many accept the statements of leading 
infidels without investigating the Bible, and 
need to see the Scriptural side of the question. 
They hide behind Atheistic fortifications with- 
out knowing the weakness of their defense. 

7. Several seeming contradictions of the 
Bible are made clear. 

For conciseness and ready reference we have 
arranged the subjects through the work Alpha- 
betically, and also inserted a Table of Indexed 

Contents. 

OLIN MARVIN OWEN. 

Utica, N. Y., 1886. 



INDEX. 



■A. PAGE. 

Adam, choosing a helpmeet, 118 

Africa, 34-37 

Altamont, death of, 210 

An Infidel Experimeat, 205-207 

Ararat, 27 

Ark, resting place of, 26 

' ' size of, 146 

" number of creatures in, 143 

Art, death of, 81 

Ascension of Christ, 23 

" " Mark's Testimony to, 25 

" " Luke's Testimony to, 23-24 

" " Ingersoll against himself, 25 

Ashantis, wives in, 226 

Atonement 25 

Authenticity of the Scriptures, 6 

" " " Ingersoll against himself, 22 

B. 

Bacon, Francis, 11 

Belief, Ingersoll against himself, 94 

Bible, 28-40 

" Bible Readers," 40 

Bible, The, and ' Moral Filth," 45 

" "Bad Things" in 49 

Bishop Whipple's anecdote, 210 

Bonney, Tribe of, 36 

Brain, Age of, 32-33 

Bramah, 221 



INDEX. Vll 

VA PAGE. 

Canaanites, wickedness of, 197 

Cattle, Egyptian, , 149 

Celsus, 14 

Chance, 64 

Chastity, 71 

Children, and the Bible, 51 

" government of, by Ingersoll's disciple, 53 

Christ, spotless life of, 48 

" Prophecy of, 157 

" Resurrection of, 167-179 ' 

Church, wickedness of, 215 

Citadel, The Bible a 21 

Conception, The miraculous, 124 

Conclusion, 227 

Condescension of Christ, 131 

Congo, wives in, 220 

Creation, 54-70 

' ' from nothing, 65 

* ' conception of, 69 

of fruit,.... 67 

D. 

Dahomme, Tribe of, 34 

Darwin, 72 

" Ingersoll against himself, 72-78 

' ' believes in a Creator, 75 

Death — Ingersoll against himself, . 78-81 

of Art, 78 

Declaration of Independence, Ingersoll against himself, 83 

Definition of an Infidel, 199-200 

Design in Creation, 54 

Depraved People, God making, 85 

Diseases, God " inventing," 86 

Divine Ordinances, 185 

Divinity of Christ proved by his Resurrection, 174 

Doctrines of Infidels, 203 



Till INDEX. 

-Ci. PAGE. 

Eternity of Matter, 58, 69 

Evangelists, 5 

Evolution, 61-65 

P. 

Faith, 87-100 

' ' Ingersoll's, 94 

False professors of Religion, 41-42 

Firmament, 100 

Flood, 102-104 

Forgiveness, 105 

" Gospel of," 98-99 

Foreigners, 108-109 

Franklin's advice to Paine, 212 

French Revolution, 200-203 

G. 

Genealogy of Christ, 110 

God — Ingersoll proves his existence, Ill 

" Ingersoll against himself, 1 14 

" does he " damn " his enemies, 106-107 

" Image of, 121 

" Gospel of Cheerfulness," 95 

" " Forgiveness," 98 

" Justice," 95-97 

" " Good Living," 95 

"Mercy," 98 

'• " Water and Soap," 95 

Gospels, why more than one ? 22 

Grass, 67 

Greek, why was the New Testament written in ? 18 

Greece and Rome, 31-32 

H. 

" Ha-ba-kook," story of, 192 

"Happiness, the only possible good," 114 



INDEX. IX 

PAGE. 

Happiness, whom does Infidelity furnish ? 117 

Helpmeet, God made Adam a, 118 

Herod, 2 

Holiness, the only possible good, . . 116 

Holy Ghost and Jesus Christ, 124-131 

" descent of, 130, 173 

Home, 120 

Hospitals, 32 

Hypocrite, The, an Infidel, 42 

Hypocrisy in the Church, 42 

I. 

Image of God, 121 

Immortality, 122 

Infidel Experiment, 205-207 

Infidel Lecturer, The 209 

Infidel's advice to his daughter, 209 

Infidel, The, and Christian contrasted, 1 

Infidel Traveller, The 39 

Infidelity, Monuments of, 200 

•< in France, 201-202 

" powerless at death, 208 

Infidel Standard of Right and Wrong, 179 

Ingersoll's permission to investigate, 5 

" petition to Congress, 46 

" Interpolations," 90 

J. 

Jericho, 133 

Jesus Christ, 124-132 

" " Condescension of , 131 

" " Ingersoll against himself, 131 

Je>vs, 134 

" increase of, 135 

Jewish God, Cruelty of, 96 

Judas, 137 

Juju House, 36 

" Justice, Gospel of," 95 



X INDEX. 

K-. PAGE. 

Kaffir cruelty, 37 

L. 

Labor, not a curse, 138 

Last words of Christ, 139 

Lazarus, Resurrection of, 140 

Liberty, Civil and Religious, 30 

Liberal, Town of, 205 

Lord Bacon, 11 

Lord's Prayer, Parody on, 207 

Lyttleton, Lord, 162 

M. 

Maidens, 194 

Manuscripts of the Bible, 16-17 

Mathew, Gospel in Hebrew, 21 

on Faith, 88 

Miracles, 140 

" Moner," Ingersoll's, 68 

" Moral Filth " of the Bible 45-51 

Monad, 68 

Monogamy, 151 

Mother of Christ — Ingersoll against himself, 131 

Murder, 141-142 

N; 

New Testament — Ingersoll against himself, 142-143 

Niagara, Bible like, 40 

Number of creatures in the Ark, 

P. 

Paine ridicules the miraculous conception, 129 

" dying words of, 178 

Pigeons, 146 

Plagues of Egypt, 148-150 

Polygamy, 150-153 

' ' Ingersoll against himself, 153 



INDEX. XI 

PAGE. 

Progress, Ingersoll's definition of, 115 

Probation, 154 

Promises, 154 

Prophecy concerning Christ, 157-161 

" Purification," Jewish, 222-224 

Pyramids of Egypt, 9 

R. 

Reasoning, 161-163 

Religion and Morality, 163-166 

' ' Ingersoll against himself, 1 66 

Resurrection of Christ, 167-179 

Right and Wrong— Infidel standard, 179-184 

s. 

Sabbath, 184-186 

Sailor, the wrecked, 39 

Serpents, , 196 

Shakespeare, morals of, 48 

" ' * v the greatest of the human race," 47 

" authenticity of his works, 29 

belief,.... 76 

Slavery, 187-191 

" Kittoon,... 188 

Solomon's Temple, 82 

Sot, how saved, 164 

Sublime Truths, 191-193 

T. 

Tallyrand, 175 

Thief on the Cross — Ingersoll against himself, 193 

Truth, Telling the. 93 

u. 

Universe, 54-69 



V . PAGE. 

" Various Readings," 16 

Voltaire, dying words of, 177 

w. 

War. 194-198 

" Ingersoll in, 197 

West, Gilbert 162 

Webster, Daniel, .... . .... 192 

What is an Infidel? . 198 

" Why do you nut respond ? " 225 

Who wrote the New Testament? — Ingersoll against 

himself, 22 

Wickedness in the Church, 215 

Woman, 216-224 

World— Ingersoll against himself, 22-") 



ingersoll Answsrad from thi Bible. 



i. 

The Infidel and Chkisttan Contbasted. 

An ancient philosopher refused to look 
through one of Galileo's telescopes at the 
starry heavens lest he should see something 
that would unsettle his faith in Aristotle's 
philosophy. Many fear to examine the Bible 
from good motives, lest their own preconceived 
theories should be overthrown. Infidels some- 
times read the Bible, but too often actuated 
by the same spirit which prompted Herod to 
say : 

Go and search diligently for the young child, and when 
ye have found him, bring me word again, that I may 
come and worship him also. — Matthew ii., 8. 

Ostensibly the king desired to "worship 
him." His real motive was to kill the new 
born babe. No book extant has been subjected 
to such severe tests as the Bible. No other 
work could have endured the strain. The 
ancient history of the world does not rest on 
as firm a foundation as the Word of the Lord. 



2 IXGERSOLL AXS\VERED 

If we consumed half as much time in en- 
deavors to hnd the center of the channel that 
leads into the great ocean of Divine Truth as 
we do in searching for snags, we should steer 
clear of all obstacles, and sailing out upon the 
broad deep aud mighty waters, be brought to 
an experimental knowledge of the great truths 
of the Gospel of Christ. It is a trite but true 
saying that "none are so blind as those who 
will not see." I am standing on deck, beside 
an old tar in mid-ocean. He exclaims: "I 
see a sail — a vessel is coming." " But you are 
mistaken," I respond ; "I cannot see it." 

Would it be rational for me to deny the fact 
because I do not catch the gleam of the snowy 
sail ? His eyes have been trained to looking 
great distances. By practice before the mast 
they have become strengthened as mine have 
not, and it is folly for me to deny the fact of 
his seeing it, coming in the distance. It is un- 
wise for the infidel standing beside the true 
Christian, wdiose eyes have been opened by the 
power of grace, to say : "I see nothing divine 
in Revealed Religion ; therefore, you see noth- 
ing." 

The Christian sees. He knows there is 
something in true Christianity besides mere 
theory. He has experienced religion, not in 
his head only but his heart. The infidel may 
not discover the ship, but the real Christian 



FROM THE BIBLE. 6 

beholds it coming triumphantly over the wave, 
freighted down with the fruits of Paradise. 

It is useless for one in the valley to shout to 
his friend who has climbed to the summit of 
yon mountain, "Your eye beholds no more 
than mine." Yet the skeptic, standing in the 
valley of unbelief, cries to him who has scaled 
the mount of God, "You can from those 
heights discover nothing but that which is 
seen by me." 

His vision is obscured by the mists and fogs 
below, while the believer has risen above these, 
where the sun of Righteousness shines upon 
him in resplendent glory. The former looks 
for happiness into the stagnant pool at his 
feet ; the latter at the bright River of Life that 
rolls on in unchanging grandeur. The one is 
lured by the siren song of earth ; the other is 
charmed by the music of the skies. The 
Christian has caught the distant echo of the 
song they sing around the Eternal Throne. 
"The song of Moses, the servant of God, and 
the Song of the Lamb." (Rev. xv., 3.) 

He stands by faith like 

" Some tall cliff, that rears its awful form, 
Swells from beneath and midway leave3 the storm, 
Though round his breast the rolling clouds are spread, 
Eternal sunshine settles on his head." 

The infidel looks into an open grave as his 
brightest future ; the Christian also gazes into 



4 INGERSOLL ANSWERED 

the tomb, but through it into an open heaven. 
With him death does not "end all." It is 
not the falling of the curtain and the end of 
the scene. He closes his eyes upon the visible, 
and perishable, only to open them upon "things 
unseen and eternal;" with him death is the 
entrance to "eternal life." The unbeliever 
views in death nothing but "silence and pa 
thetic dust." The Christian, by faith, sees 

" Sweet fields beyond the swelling flood, 
Stand dressed in Jiving green." . 

The one looks out upon creation adoring his 
"Mother Nature," admiring the spring-time, 
the resurrection of vegetable life, worshipping 
the flow T ers as they bud and blossom, but oh 
how soon the sighing winds of autumn w r rinkle 
the face of his God! The other admires 
the same creation, views with greater satis- 
faction the very same natural scenery, but he 
cannot stop with the visible ; his eye sweeps 
beyond to a realm where 

"Everlasting Spring abides 
And never- withering flowers." 

We will go w T ith the unbeliever in his sublimest 
contemplations of the visible world, but wmen 
he would have us pause here, we demur. The 
longings of our immortal nature strike for a 
purer region where we can read a deeper and 
higher philosophy written by the finger of 
Jehovah, not merely in the visible world, but far 



FROM THE BIBLE. 



beyond the Orion and Pleiades in characters 
of living fire around the Throne of God. 



II. 

Ingersoles Permission to Investigate. 

If any authority were required for investi- 
gating and exposing R. Gr. Ingersoll's misrep- 
resentations of the Bible, and his self ' ' con- 
tradictions," it would be found in his own 
language. 

IKGERSOLL. 

All books should be examined in the same spirit, and 
truth should be welcomed and falsehood exposed, no matter 
in what volume they may be found. — Some Mistakes of 
Moses, Page 54. 

Having received full permission by the gen- 
tleman himself, whose ' ' books ' ' we are to ' ' ex- 
amine," we proceed with our task, hoping 
that the "truth" will be "welcomed" when 
the "falsehoods" are "exposed," "no mat- 
ter in what volume they may be found ." 

But let it be remembered that to prove the 
Bible to be true is one thing ; to answer every 
objection .which can be brought against it is 
quite another. If, to substantiate its truths, 
we must meet every cavil the infidel world can 
possibly urge, then does infidelity fall by its 
own sword, since the objections to it are legion, 



6 INGERSOLL ANSWERED 

far greater in number than can possibly be 
urged against the Bible and Revealed Religion. 
When however, to produce arguments against 
these, one is obliged to resort to misrepresen- 
tation of the Scriptures, it is time for every 
lover of truth, Christian or infidel, to enter a 
solemn protest. It is indeed a poor system 
which has Falsehood for its chief corner stone. 



III. 

A. 

Authenticity of the Sceiptukes. 

ingersoll. 

The fact is, no one knows who niade the statements of 
the Evangelists. There are three important manuscripts 
upon which the Christian world relies. The first appeared 
in the catalogue of the Vatican in 14T5. This contains the 
Old Testament. Of the New, it contains the four gospels, 
the Acts, the seven Catholic Epistles, nine of the Pauline 
Epistles, and the Epistle to the Hebrews as far as the four- 
teenth verse of the ninth chapter. This is known as the 
Codex Vatican. The second, the Alexandrine, was pre- 
sented to King Charles the First, in 1628. It contains the 
Old and New Testaments, with some exceptions. * * * 
The last is the Sinaitic Codex, discovered about 1850, at the 
convent of St. Catharine's, on Mount Sinai. It contains 
the Old and New Testaments. * * * In matters of the 
utmost importanci' these manuscripts disagree, but even if 
they all agreed it would not furnish the slightest evidence 
of their truth.— The Christian Religion, page 65. 



FROM THE BIBLE. 7 

"Who wrote the New Testament? I do not know. Who 
does know? Nobody. We have found many manuscripts 
containing portions of the New Testament. Some of these 
manuscripts leave out five or six books ; many of them. 
Others more ; others less. No two of these manuscripts 
agree. Nobody knows who wrote these manuscripts. 
They were all written in Greek. The disciples of Christ., 
so far as we know, knew only Hebrew. Nobody ever saw, 
so far as we know, one of the original Hebrew manuscripts, 
Nobody ever saw anybody who had seen anybody who had 
heard of an} body that had ever seen anybody that had 
ever seen one of the original Hebrew manuscripts — What 
Must We Do to be Saved ? pages 17-18. 

What an "anybody" passage this is ! Can 
"anybody " understand it \ 

I admit that I have said, that the Bible is cruel, that in 
many passages it is impure, that it is contradictory, that it 
is unscientific. — Interviews on Talmage, page 212. 

bible:. 

"thus saith the loed." 

Exodus, iv., 22; Joshua, vii,, 13; xxiv., 2 : Judges, vi., 
8; 1 Samuel, xv., 2, xi., 27: 2 Samuel, xii., 11, xxiv., 12; 
1 Chron., xvii., 7; Jeremiah, vi., 9, etc. 

For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of 
man, but holy men of God spake as they were moved by 
the Holy Ghost.— 2 Peter, i., 21. 

The Bible is the word of the Lord. The 
writers of other works have no higher author- 
ity than the human ; but again and again the 
inspired penman commences or accompanies 
his message by a 

" Thus saith the Lord." 

Profane poets and historians do not intro- 
duce their works in this manner. 



8 INGERSOLL ANSWERED 

Mr. Ingersoll is his own authority. He ac- 
cepts and rejects what he pleases of the Scrip- 
tures, greatly misrepresents them, his au- 
thority being, 

Thus saith R. G. Ingersoll. 

Let us examine the above reasoning. The 
New Testament is untrue : 

First. Because "no one knows who wrote 

Second. Because it is "contradictory." The 
Evangelists do not "agree." 

Third. Because " if they all agreed it would 
not furnish the slightest evidence of their 
truth ?" What then would furnish the slight- 
est evidence of their truth ? It is a wonder he 
did not add : 

Fourth. Because if we knew the Bible were 
true, if it were demonstrated before our eyes, 
if we saw it written in letters of fire amid the 
darkened heavens, if the Evangelists should 
rise from the dead, and in tones of thunder, 
declare in our hearing that they wrote the 
Gospels, we would not believe it. 

If, "in matters of the utmost importance, 
these manuscripts did really "disagree," or 
their authorship had been disproved, we might 
reasonably doubt their correctness, but these 
things Mr. Ingersoll utterly fails to show. 
According to his evolution theory the Gospels 
must have written themselves. One might as 



FROM THE BIBLE. 



well exclaim : Who built the Pyramids of 
Egypt % I do not know. Who does know \ 
IN obody. And conclude they built themselves. 
''"Nobody ever saw anybody who had seen any- 
body 'who had heard of anybody that had, ever 
seen anybody that had ever seen one" of the 
builders of the Pyramids. 

Did the Pyramids evolve? Can Ingersoll 
prove that the people who erected them ever 
existed \ Because their origin is shrouded in 
mystery, will he conclude that they were self- 
made? No. They rest upon solid founda- 
tions and give clear evidence in themselves 
that they were built by man — but when, and 
by whom % 

The Bible must have been written. The Old 
Testament, the foundation, while above the 
ground rises in eternal grandeur, the New 
Testament, both of these containing the clear- 
est internal evidences of a Divine Revelation. 
As the Pyramids of Egypt stand in the midst 
of a desert, the wonder of the world, so this 
Pyramid of Eternal Truth rears its head sub- 
lime, in the midst of the barren Desert of Sin. 

It stands upon a more lasting foundation 
than the ancient monuments of Egypt. It 
stands proudly defying the storms of infidelity 
that have for ages beat against it. It stands 
erect, with its blazing inscriptions, for the 
elevation and salvation of man, not written in 
2 



10 INGERSOLL ANSWERED 

hieroglyphics, but so plainly "that the way- 
faring men, though fools," need not mistake 
the reading. To this Eternal Pyramid of 
Truth, whose foundations have never been 
shaken, we may look for salvation from sin in 
this world, and eternal life in the world to 
come. 

The elements are beginning to tell on the 
Ancient Pyramids; the traveler chisels off a 
piece of the stone as a memento, but no storm, 
no chisel of Infidelity, has removed any por- 
tion of this Monument of Truth, reared by the 
Lord Almighty. 

Ingersoll does not "know" "who wrote the 
New Testament." Does he "know" who is 
the author of Shakespeare's writings, which 
he so universally praises ? Hear him ! 

Shakespeare, the greatest of the human race.— Ortho- 
doxy, page 42. 

Shakespeare, the man who found the human intellect 
dwelling in a hut, touched it with the wand of his genius 
and it became a palace, domed and pinnacled. Shakespeare, 
who harvested all the fields of dramatic thought, and from 
whose day to this there have been only gleaners of straw 
and chaff. — The Ghosts and other Lectures, page 138. 

No one pretends that Shakespeare was inspired, and yet all 
the writers of the Books of the Old Testament put together 
could not have produced Hamlet. — Some Mistakes of Moses, 
page 52. 

Is Ingersoll certain that Shakespeare wrote 
the works attributed to him \ His right to au- 
thorship has been ably attacked. The articles 



FROM THE BIBLE. 11 

written disputing it would make quite a vol- 
ume. To Francis Bacon has been assigned the 
authorship of these plays by those who deny 
it to Shakespeare. We have as good and bet- 
ter evidence that he never wrote the plays 
attributed to him than we have for rejecting 
the authenticity of the Scriptures, and yet the 
majority of critics believe he and not Lord 
Bacon is their real author. 

The only works of Shakespeare certainly published under 
his own hand were the two two poems. Venus and Adonis 
and the Rape of Lucrece, which appeared in 1593-1594, 
respectively. As was naturally to be looked for in the case 
of pieces on the stage so popular, certain of his dramas 
found their way from time to time into print, but no 
authoritative edition of any of them was issued during his 
life-time.— Chambers' Enc. 

It is to be regretted that Shakespeare should 
forget or neglect to "authorize" his works. 

"The fact is, no one knows who made the 
statements of the Evangelists." Is this true? 
Then does any one know who made the state- 
ments of Shakespeare \ "Even if the manu- 
scripts all agreed it would not furnish the 
slightest evidence of their truth." Indeed ! 
Suppose, then, w r e say "even if the manu- 
scripts of the historians all agreed that Shakes- 
peare wrote the works ascribed to him it would 
not furn'sh the slightest evidence of their 
truth, or of Shakespeare's authorship." What 
then % 



12 INGERSOLL ANSWERED 

Are the Scriptures untrue because their au- 
thenticity is questioned? Then IngersolTs 
Shakespearean God, with all his library of 
poetry and song, crumbles into ashes. 

Suppose no writer had ever assailed the au- 
thenticity of Shakespeare' s works ? How could 
Ingersoll, even then, positively know that 
Shakespeare wrote the plays ascribed to him \ 
Suppose I emphatically deny it \ How will 
he prove I am incorrect \ By the historians \ 
How can he certainly "know " that they told 
the truth \ Some of them never saw the great 
# poet, and depend upon other historians lor 
their information ; can he positively "know " 
that these other historians were truthful \ Be- 
sides, these writers might all have been de- 
ceived, or they might have been bribed to 
write a narrative of a man they had never 
seen, or the history might have been the crea- 
tion of their own imagination. How is it to 
be proved that such, a person ever existed? 
Did Ingersoll or any living person ever see him 2 
Might not those who thought they saw him 
have been deceived % May we not apply Inger- 
soll' s logic to Shakespeare: u Who wrote 
Shakespeare f I do rt t Jen ow ; wh o does Jc n o id f 
Nobody" and challenge Ingersoll to prove the 
right of Shakespeare to the authorship of the 
books he exalts so highly ? He may prove it 
to his own satisfaction, but he cannot convince 



FROM THE BIBLE. 13 

every one. Ingersoll believes Shakespeare is 
the author of the works ascribed to him, but 
how will he so settle the matter that no one 
will ever question it again. 

The great difficulty with infidels is they either 
do not understand, or do not appreciate, the 
laws of evidence. They ask for proofs in sup- 
port of the authenticity of the Bible which 
they could not adduce in defense of facts they 
know to have existed. They deny the author- 
ship of the Bibl^, and yet credit the authen- 
ticity of other works on far less evidence than 
is produced in defense of the Sacred Word. 

We could ask many questions in reference 
to infidelity which no skeptic could answer, 
so that the infidel sophism, "who does know % — 
nobody," falls by its own weight. Ingersoll 
undermines himself. But the Christian world 
do know who wrote the Bible. " The fact is," 
the authenticity of the Scriptures has been 
proved again and again, not by prejudiced 
critics, but by the best and most competent 
scholars of every age. Would space permit 
we might with profit begin with the Re- 
vised Version and trace the New Testament 
through its printed and manuscript history to 
the very days of the apostles. Christian writers 
in the early history of the church w r rote in de- 
fense of the New Testament. Polycarp (A. D. 
69-156), Irenseus, Bishop of Lyons (born about 



14 INGERSOLL ANSWERED 

A. D. 115, and martyred about A. D. 190) 
Tertullian (A. D. 160-220), and many others 
have left on almost every page profuse quota- 
tions from the New Testament. The writings 
of Origen (A. D. 185-254) contain more than 
two-thirds of the New Testament. TIad it 
been burned, and every manuscript of the 
apostles utterly destroyed A. D. 325, when the 
council of Nice was held, there are but few 
sentences in the whole book that could not 
have been collected and the volume reproduced 
from the writings of Christians, which writings 
existed then and are extant to-day. 

The council of Nice did not then, as infidels 
sometimes allege, make or compile the New 
Testament. '*Who does knowl Nobody.' 1 
There were infidels who lived and wrote against 
Christianity at its dawn who knew more about 
u who wrote the New Testament" than the 
modern champion of infidelity, even after the 
accumulated infidel knowledge of eighteen 
hundred years. 

Celsus, the Epicurean Philosopher, wrote 
against Christianity about A. D. 176 Porph- 
ery, another opposer, about A. D. 270, quot- 
ing a multitude of passages from the New 
Testament proving that more than fifteen cen- 
turies ago Christians accepted it as the founda- 
tion of their religion. 

Can infidels give a consistent reason why w T e 



FROM THE BIBLE. 15 

should reject the testimonies of the Evangel- 
ists, when not only Christian but Infidel writ- 
ers corroborate the facts the disciples recorded % 
Shall we reject all facts, no matter by whom 
written ? We must then plunge into darkness 
worse than heathendom, and can know noth- 
ing in reference to the past. 

The Gospel was not planted on the earth in 
an age of ignorance. Christ did not make his 
advent at a time of intellectual darkness, and 
the disciples did not write when there were no 
poets, historians or philosophers. When the 
Gospel came into the arena, intellectual cul- 
ture and development were at their height in 
Greece and Rome, and the historians of these 
nations had ample opportunity for investiga- 
tion. The transactions of Christ and his dis- 
ciples were not done in a corner, and when 
they are recorded not only by themselves, but 
the facts are corroborated by cotemporary 
writers, Jewish, Christian and heathen, how 
can we reject them without undermining all 
the historical facts of the world % 

Does any one know who wrote the "manu- 
scripts" of Homer, Herodotus, Socrates, Caesar, 
Sallust, Cicero, Livy, Horace or Yirgil % The 
same line of evidence which proves the author- 
ship of these "manuscripts" proves the au- 
thenticity of the Bible. Indeed the proofs 
showing the authenticity of the manuscripts 



16 IXGERSOLL ANSWERED 

of the Scriptures are clearer, far "greater in 
number aud more overwhelming than any 
evidence that can be produced in defense of 
the authorship of the writings of any ancient 
poet, historian, or philosopher. The manu- 
scripts of no ancient writer have been so won- 
derfully preserved as those of the Word of 
God. 

The number of New Testament manuscripts complete or 
fragmentary, now known, exceeds seventeen hundred. 
dating from about A. D. 330 to 1500, of these probably 
seventy or eighty are over a thousand years old. * * * 

Of course, the earliest printed editions of the New Tes- 
tament were issued before most of these hidden manu- 
scripts were discovered and compared ; and hence con- 
tained slight errors of copyists, which could only be de- 
tected when other copies were collected and collated. 
Since that time, a vast number of such manuscripts have 
been discovered, and compared, word by word, and letter 
by letter ; and every real discrepancy in the sense, as well 
as every little error in spelling or copying — like the failure 
to dot an i, or cross a t — has been noted and reported, thus 
making up the vast number of " various readings," about 
which skeptics talk — ninety-nine out of a hundred of 
which are of no consequence whatever. Obviously if there 
were but one manuscript of the New Testament in exist- 
ence there could of course be no "various readings ; " but the 
more manuscripts discovered, the more of these ''various 
readings '" there will be ; and as there are ten times as 
many manuscripts of the New Testament as of any other 
ancient book, of course there will be ten times as many 
'•various readings;" and whenever any new reading of 
importance is discovered, then it is necessary to look 
through the best ancient manuscripts, and see what is 
really the true reading of the passage. 



FROM THE BIBLE. 17 

No existing manuscripts of Greek or Roman classics can 
compare with those of the New Testament in number, or 
antiquity ard authenticity. Of Herodotus, the oldest and 
the most important of the classic historians, there are ex- 
tant about fifteen manuscript copies, most of them written 
since A. D. 1450. One or two may date back to the ninth 
or tenth century. There are still fewer manuscript copies 
of the writings of Plato. One of the earliest bears date 
A. D. 895. And the text of these ancient writers is far less 
correct than that of the New Testament manuscripts. 
Take, for example, the Comedies of Terence, who was born 
at Cnrthage 195 B. C. The learned Dr. Bentley asserts, in 
his reply to Collins (Part I., § 32), that the oldest and best 
manuscript copy, now in the Vatican Library, has '• hun- 
dreds of errors;" and remarks, " I myself have collated 
several, and do affirm that I have seen twenty thousand 
various readings in that little author, not near so big as 
the New Testament ; and am morally sure that if half the 
number of manuscripts were collated for Terence, with 
that minuteness which has been used in twice as many for 
the New Testament, the number of variations would 
amount to above fifty thousand.'"' 

From the hundreds of Greek manuscripts of the New 
Testament which have been carefully examined, critics 
have collected perhaps 150,000 various readings ; most of 
. which are simple differences in spelling, such as are found 
in printed books to-day ; as we see by consulting any good 
dictionary, where we find "traveller" and "traveler," 
"worshipped" and " worshiped," "labour" and "labor." 
Only about 400 of them perceptibly affect the sense ; an 
average of less than one error to a manuscript. And of 
this 400 only about fifty are of much consequence. From 
the writings of Milton, Bunyan, and Shakespeare, though 
they are little more than two hundred years old, and have 
been printed, instead of being copied by hand, there could 
doubtless be culled more various readings than all that 
3 



18 INGERSOLL ANSWERED 

have been gathered from the multitudes of different manu- 
scripts of the New Testament that have been examined. 

Says a writer in the North American Review, in an article 
on Prof. Norton's work on the New Testament, "It seems 
strange that the text of Shakespeare, which has been in 
existen ^ less than two hundred and eight years, should be 
far more uncertain and corrupt than that of the New Testa- 
ment, now ever eighteen centuries old, during nearly 
fit teen of which it existed only in manuscript. * * * 
With pei haps a dozen or twenty exceptions, the text of 
every verse in the New Testament may be said to be so far 
settled by general consent of scholars, that any dispute as 
to its reading must relate rather to the interpretation of 
the words than to any doubts respecting the words them- 
selves. But in every one of Shakespeare's thirty-seven 
plays there are probably a hundred readings still in dis- 
pute, a large portion of which materially affect the mean- 
ing of the passages in which they occur. — Corruptions of 
the New Testament, by H. L. Hastings, pages 9-18. 

Why does Ingersoll credit the authenticity 
of Shakespeare when there is so much dispute 
about the text, and yet discredit the text of 
the New Testament, when the evidence in 
favor of the latter is so overwhelming ( 

Why were the New Testament "manu- 
scripts" " written in Greek 'C 

The reason why the New Testament writers should have, 
under divine guidance and inspiration, employed the Greek 
tongue is sufficiently manifest. The intention of God now wis 
to give forth a revelation, not confined in^nespecial manner 
to one particular people, who were peculiarly the depos- 
itaries of divine truth, but that which was intended for the 
lost children of men, whether Jews or Gentiles. Just as 
the Gospel was commanded to be preached, as God's mes- 
sage of salvation to sinners, through f.ith in the Savior's 



FROM THE BIBLE. 19 

sacrifice, to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem, so, too, the 
written Scripture of the New Testament was equally in- 
tended to go forth for the instruction of all whose ears and 
hearts should be opened to receive the teachings thus 
communicated and thus recorded for after ages. Thus, 
then, it was in accordance with both the divine wisdom 
and even with what man would have felt to be fitt ng, that 
a language of wide extent as to use should be employed. 
For thus the written record of God's truth became so much 
the more accessible to the many. And thus Greek was the 
language to be employed, for this tongue was at the time 
of our Lord's advent diffused far more than any other 
throughout the civilized earth. There was also a fitness in 
the language, being one of high cultivation and flexibility ; 
in which shades of thought were well and accurately de- 
fined, and which had been so cultivated that it would ever 
demand attention amongst the civilized races of men. 
These qualities were so peculiarly combined in the Greek 
language that the means by which it had become diffused 
throughout the eastern and central portions of the civilized 
earth must be regarded as specially ordered by God, with 
reference to his own purpose in the mission of Christ, and 
subsequent preaching of the Gospel and the giving forth of 
this part of the written word. — Home's Introduction, vol. 
. rv. , page 8. 

As to how the Greek language had become 
diffused in the east, see pages 8, 9 and 10 of the 
above work. 

But even though the fact be admitted and known that 
there was a fitness in the New Testament having been writ- 
ten in Greek for the use of Gentiles, the question must 
arise, How far could this be suited to the Jews ? They, 
too had to do with the gospel ; for to them it was com- 
manded to be first preached ; and thus the written record 
of that gospel might, perhaps, have been expected to be 
suited also to them. * * * It will suffice to remark, 



20 INGERSOLL ANSWERED 

that the books of the New Testament were most of them 
written after the time when the Jews had rejected the gos- 
pel, both as a nation, and also as far as any united body 
amongst them was concerned : and thus in the written 
record Gentiles were especially to be considered. Also 
many of the books gatl ered in the collection called the 
New Testament were addressed to communities which con- 
sisted either of converted Gentiles entirely, or else with an 
admixture of Jews by nation, but who, by residence out of 
the land of their fathers, had become Hpllenized as to their 
language. And farther, it must be borne in mind that even 
when the gospel was first preached, and the New Testa- 
ment books were first written, the portion of t*>e house of 
Israel who now settled in various countries was very great ; 
and such had long been accustomed to use for ordinary 
purposes the LXX version of the Old Testament. In 
regarding the diffusion of Greek as a providential ordering 
of God, to prepare for the spread of the gospel, and for the 
use of the New Testament Scriptures, it is not without sig- 
nificance that the destruction of Jerusalem and the entire 
dispersion of the Jews under Titus took place so soon after 
the writing of the New Testament (and, indeed, before all 
the books had been penned,) that if this record had been 
given forth either in the ancient Hebrew, like the Old Tes- 
tament, or in the Syro-Chaldaic, which had become vernac- 
ular, (under the name of Hebrew,) amongst those residing 
in Palestine, it would have been an arrangement tending 
in very little measure for permanent or general utility. — 
Home's Introduction, vol. iv., page 11. 

Again, the Greek language, soon after the 
New Testament was written, became a dead 
language, and could no longer be subjected to 
the continual changes which are ever occurring 
in a living language. Thus the text of the 
New Testament is fixed far more certainly than 



FROM THE BIBLE. 21 

if a language had been em picked that was to 
live and be subjected to perpetual change. 

It is not absolutely certain, "so far as we 
know," that the "disciples of Christ knew 
only Hebrew." There is some evidence to 
show that Matthew wrote his gospel in Hebrew 
for the use of the first Hebrew converts. (See 
Home's Introduction, pages 416-420.) 

Early writers corroborate this view. They 
say nothing of the Greek translator. They 
accepted the Greek copy as authoritative, but 
they do not say it w~as the original. 

It is quite certain that, wdiile they were 
Hebrews, they understood more or less of the 
Greek. The latter was the prevalent language, 
especially after the destruction of Jerusalem, 
when the Jewish language and everything be- 
longing to the Jews fell into the utmost con- 
tempt. 

In assailing the Scriptures Mr. Ingersoll has 
attacked an impregnable fortress. Voltaire and 
Paine bombarded this citadel in vain. It can- 
not be taken. It has been stormed for centu- 
ries, but remains firmer than the everlasting 
hills. One might as well attempt to dethrone 
Jehovah as to obliterate the Sacred Word. 
Infidels have displayed an ingenuity and per- 
severance like that of an Alexander the Great 
in the siege of Tyre, yet the citadel stands as 
firm as when first assailed. There is no other 



22 INGERSOLL ANSWERED 

book like it on the face of the earth. Had it 
been of human origin, it would ages since have 
pasted into oblivion. It is the impregnable 
stronghold of the Almighty, and like its 
Divine Author will live forever. 

Nevertheless the Foundation of God Standeth 
Sure.— 2 Tim., it, 19. 

INGERSOLL. 

Again I ask, why should there be more than one inspired 
Gospel ? Of what use were the oilier three ? There can be 
only one true account of anything. All other true ac- 
counts must simply be copies of that. — The Christian Re- 
ligion, page 71. 

BIBLE. 

In the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word 
be established. — 2 Cor. xiii., 1. 

Had there been but "one true account,'' 
Ingersoll might have complained because there 
were not more. 

" Why" should there be more than "one 
account" of the authorship of Shakespeare's 
plays? And as they are a little u contradic- 
tory," which one is correct ? 

IXGEKSOLL AGAINST HIMSELF. 

Who wrote the New Testament? I don't know. Who 
does know? Nobody. — What Must We Do to be Saved, 
page 17. 

The Bible was not written by a woman. — The Ghosts, 
page 140. 

Ingersoll " does not know" who wrote the 
New Testament, and "nobody" else "knotcs" 



FROM THE BIBLE. 



only he " Tcnotos " a " woman " did not write 
it ! 

" What must we do to be saved " from such 
1 ' Ghostly " " contradictions \ ' ' 



IV. 

Asceistsio^ of Christ. 

INGERSOLL. 

Who saw this miracle ? They say the disciples saw it. 
Let us see what they say. Matthew did not think it was 
worth mentioning. He does not speak of it. On the con- 
trary, he says that the last words of Christ were : " Lo, I 
am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. "' 
* * * John does not mention it. * * * Matthew did 
not see the men in white apparel, did not see the ascension. 
Mark forgot the entire transaction, and Luke did not think 
the men in white apparel worth mentioning. — Orthodoxy, 
pages 34-35. 

BIBLE. 

And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as he 
went up, behold two men stood by them in white apparel. — 
Actsi., 10. 

As "St. Luke " wrote the Acts, he evidently 
did "think the men in white apparel worth 
mentioning." 

IXCiERSOLL. 

Luke testifies that Christ ascended on the very day of 
his resurrection. — The Christian Religion, page 69. 

Luke testifies to no such thing:. 



24 INGERSOLL ANSWERED 

BIBLE. 

And behold two of them went that same day (the day of 
his resurrection) to a village called Emmaus, which was 
from Jerusalem about three score furlongs. * * And it 
came to pass while they communed together and reasoned 
Jesus himself drew near and went with them. * * * 
And they drew nigh unto the village whither they went ; 
and he made as though he would have gone further. But 
they constrained him, saying abide with us ; for it is to- 
ward evening, and tjie day is far spent. And he went in 
to tarry with them. And it came to pass as he sat at meat 
with them he took bread and blessed it and broke and 
gave to them. And their eyes were opened and they knew 
him ; and he vanished out of their sight. — Luke ooxiv., 
13-31. 

Did "Christ ascend on the very day of his 
resurrection " when that very evening Luke 
says " he went in to tarry with them ( " 

Did he ascend when "he vanished out of 
their sight ( " No, for they returned to Jeru- 
salem, and there they saw Jesus again. (Luke 
xxiv., 36.) 

Some time after he "vanished out of their 
sight" he ascended, but how long after is not 
stated in this chapter. 

And he led them out as far as to Bethany : and he lifted 
up his hands and blessed them. And it came to pass, while 
he blessed them, he was parted from them, and carried up 
into heaven. — Luke xxiv , 50-51. 

Luke's testimony is directly contrary to the 
statement " that Christ ascended on the very 
day of his resurrection." 

He (Christ) also showed himself alive after his passion, 



FROM THE BIBLE. 25 



by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty < 
and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of 
God.— Acts i., 3. 

IXGERSOLL AGAINST HOISEL.F. 

To this wonder of wonders Mark devotes one verse. So 
then after the Lord had spoken unto them he was received 
up into heaven and sat on the right hand of God. — The 
Christian Religion, page 68. 

Mark forgot the entire transaction. — Orthodoxy, page 35. 

When Ingersoll wrote his lecture on Ortho- 
doxy he either "forgot" that he had stated 
three years previous in "The Christian Relig- 
ion" that " To this wonder of wonders Mark 
devotes one verse" or he knew less about the 
Bible after the laj)se of three years than before. 
Is not this " entire transaction" a little " con- 
tradictory ?" 



V. 

Atonement. 

INGERSOLL. 

If we take the depositions of Matthew, Mark and Luke, 
then the Gospel of Christ amounts simply to this, that God 
will forgive the forgiving and that he will be merciful to 
the merciful According to these witnesses Christ knew 
nothing of the doctrine of the Atonement, never heard of 
the second birth and did not base salvation in whole nor in 
part on belief. In the deposition of John we find that we 
must be born again , that we must believe on the Lord Jesus 
Christ, and that an atonement was made for us. If Christ 
4 



26 INGERSOLL ANSWERED 

ever said these things to or in the hearing of Matthew 
Mark and Luke, they forgot to mention them. — The Chris- 
tian Religion, page 70. 

BIBLE. 

Even as the son of man came not to be ministered unto 
but to minister and to give his life a ransom for many. — 
Matthew xx., 28. 

Did Christ, who uttered these words, "know" 
anything of the " doctrine of the atonement ( " 
Did Matthew forget " to mention " it ? 

He that belie veth and is baptised shall be saved, but he 
that believeth not shall be damned. — Jesus, Mark xvi., 16. 

We think Jesus, in this text, "bases salva- 
tion in whole or in part on belief." 

For a multitude of texts where Jesus " bases 
salvation * * on belief," see Chapter on 
Faith. 



VI. 

The Atck. 

INGERSOLL. 



It must not be forgotten that the mountain where the 
ark is supposed to have first touched bottom, was about 
seventeen thousand feet high. How were the animals 
from the tropics kept warm ? When the waters were 
abated it would be intensely cold at a point seventeen 
thousand feet above the level of the sea. — Some Mistakes 
of Moses, $age 161. 

" It must not be forgotten that" the Bible 



FROM THE BIBLE. 27 

says nothing about the "mountain" of Ararat. 
It does speak of the mountains of Ararat. 

BIBLE. 

And the Ark rested in the seventh month on the seven- 
teenth day of the month upon the mountains of Ararat. — 
Gen. viii,, 4. 

The word Ararat occurs only three times in 
the Bible, first in the passage above, second in 
2 Kings, xix., 37, and third in Jeremiah Li., 
27, (in Isa. xxxvu., 38, the word Armenia 
occurs, which the marginal note translates 
Ararat.) In none of these instances does the 
word Ararat signify the modern mountain 
bearing this name, and to which Ingersoll re- 
fers. It was anciently the name of a country, 
or district, and not the name of a mountain. 

In the Bible Ararat is nowhere the name of a mountain, 
and by the native Arminians the mountain in question 
was never so designated ; it is by them called Mads, and 
by the Turks Aghur — dagh, i. e., The Heavy or Great 
Mountain. — Kitto. 

Suppose we should read that " the ark rested 
upon the mountains of New York," would that 
imply that it rested on the top of the highest 
peak in the state ? 

The ark rested in the country of Ararat, but 
that does not prove that where " it first touched 
bottom" was on top of the highest mountain 
in the district, or on top of the modern Ararat. 

Ingersoll will have to climb higher than 



28 INGERSOLL ANSWERED 

"seventeen thousand feet" ere he discovers 
any proof that the ark rested on such an ele- 
vation. 

He may remain there till he freezes, and he 
will not find the slightest trace of Noah's Ark. 



VII. 

Baptism. 

ingersoll. 



In the gospel according to St. Matthew * * * not 
one word about being baptised. — What Must We Do to be 
Saved, page 35. 

BIBLE. 

Are ye able to drink of the cup that I shall drink of and 
be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with? — 
Matthew xx., 22. 

Indeed baptize you with water unto repentance. — Mat- 
thew Hi. , 2. 

Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John to 
be baptized of him.— Matthew Hi., 13. 



VIII. 

B. 

The Bible. 

ingersoll. 

The Bible has been the fortress and defense of nearly 
every crime. — The Christian Religion, page 5. 

No civilized country could re-enact its laws, and in many 



FROM THE BIBLE. 29 

respects its moral code is abhorrent to every good and 
tender man. — Ibid, page 5. 

The real oppressor, enslaver and corrupter of the people' 
is the Bible. That book is the chain that binds, the dun- 
geon that holds the clergy. That book spreads the pall of 
superstition over the colleges and schools. That book 
puts out the eyes of science and makes honest investiga- 
tion a crime. That book unmans the politician and de- 
grades the people. That book fills the world with bigotry, 
hypocrisy and fear. — Some Mistakes of Moses, page 43. 

And yet in this "real oppressor, enslaver 
and corrupder of the people" 

"THE BIBLE," 

we find snch passages as these : 

I will walk at liberty. — Psa. cxix., 45. 

He hath sent me * * * to proclaim liberty to the 
captives. — Isa. Ixi., 1. 

Where the spirit of the Lord is there is liberty. — 2 Cor., 
Hi., 17. 

And we add : " Where the spirit of infidel- 
ity is, there is oppression." 

Ye shall know the truth, and the truth (not falsehood) 
shall make you free. — John viii,, 36. 

If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free 
indeed. — John viii., 36. 

Does u that book put out the eyes of science 
and make honest investigation a crime \ " 

Where ? When \ How ? We challenge the 
proof. It does make dishonesty " a crime " 

Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor. 
—Ex. xx., 16. 
Thou shalt not raise a false report. — Ex. xxiii. 1. 
Lie not one to another. — Col., Hi., 9. 



80 1NGERSOLL ANSWERED 

What is true civil liberty 3 The socialist has 
his ideal, and is this Ingersoli's standard? 
There can be no civil liberty without law. a law 
of protection, guaranteeing one the use of his 
legitimate freedom. Does liberty mean the 
privilege of doing as one pleases regardless of 
the rights of others? Such maybe the free- 
dom of the wild beast, but it is not the liberty 
designed for man, 

As there can be no civil liberty without law. 
so there can be no true religious liberty with- 
out law, a moral law, a standard of right and 
wrong. This is found in Revealed Religion, 
and upon this is based all true civil govern- 
ment. Free Religion, so called, offers us free- 
dom to sin, to violate the law of God. The 
Bible offers us freedom from sin. The former 
does for the world just what Ingersoll declares 
the Bible accomplishes. Infidelity is " the 
real oppressor, enslaver and corrupter of the 
people." 

Which Religion is it that builds our schools 
and colleges, our charitable institutions, our 
orphan asylums, our homes for the friendless, 
and sends missionaries to heathen lands 8 
Why is it that where the Bible is most revered 
there the people are least "oppressed, enslaved 
and corrupted C 

There is as much difference between infidel 
liberty and the freedom from the guilt and 



FROM THE BIBLE. 31 

power of sin offered in the gospel of Christ, as 
there is between the darkness of midnight and 
the light of the blazing snn at noon-day. The 
former is the freedom of the caged eagle, the 
latter that of the same bird on soaring wing. 
Thy one binds the soul to earth ; the other 
brings it np into sacred communion with God. 

The one is earth born — the other is heaven 
born. 

The one degrades — the other elevates. 

The one leads to hell — the other to heaven. 

IKGERSOLL. 

Intelligence must be the savior of this world. — What 
Must We Do to be Saved, page 85. 

It is all a question of brain, of intellectual development. 
—The Ghosts, page 87. 

"Why," then at the very acme of philoso- 
phy and art in ancient days was there such a 
condition of public morals % " Why " did not 
"brain" and "intellectual development" pur- 
ify Greece and Rome? "Why," in the pres- 
ence of all this learning and philosophy, were 
their gods and goddesses so impure, and 
"why" did the most debasing, idolatrous 
rites and ceremonies prevail? "Why" were 
gross crimes practised by the joeople and 
taught by philosophers ? "Why" did not 
the five hundred years of "intelligence" prior 
to the advent of Jesus annihilate evil in these 
countries 3 " Why," among all nations, 



32 INGERSOLL ANSWERED 

whether barbarous or civilized, did sin and in- 
iquity abound on every hand? "Why" did 
not the period that produced Socrates, Plato, 
Euclid, Archimedes, Aristotle and Demos- 
thenes make men moral I Was not this the 
age of " brain," of "intellectual develop- 
ment?" Did not Greece and Rome at this 
time excel in learning? Are not the classics 
of those ancient nations still the delight of men 
of culture I If learning can eradicate evil, can 
reform men, surely the subjects of these do- 
minions must have .been models of virtue and 
morality? Will Ingersoll tell us "why" all 
this lore did not sweep evil from the face of 
the earth? "Why," before the introduction 
of the gospel into heathen lands was philan- 
thropic effort utterly unknown \ " Why" do 
we not read in the history of Greece and Rome 
of orphan asylums and other charitable insti- 
tutions "i Because the "Sun of Righteous- 
ness" had not yet arisen over these lands 
" with healing in his wings." 

Europe, in the earlier part of the Middle Ages, was much 
less civilized in most points than Rome under the Empire : 
and yet even in the worst part of the Dark Ages, there were 
some attempts at hospitals for the sick, and some ideas of 
protecting orphans and desolate fugitives ; and though it 
was very long before the system of " the serfs of the soil" 
was abolished, still this was done entirely by the efforts of 
the Christian church, imperfect and corrupt as it had be- 
come. The work of ransoming slaves was looked upon as 
a good and commendable work, and many rich men left or 



FROM THE BIBLE. 33 

gave sums to it, as they do now to public charities. This 
was never done in the days of Greece or Rome. A great 
man might set free a favorite slave, or ransom a captive 
for some special reason, but never from a motive of general 
philanthropy. Again, how were gladiator fights, the ex- 
posure of weak or deformed children and other horrible 
abuses of the heathen world, abolished, if not by the grad- 
ual working of the reflex influence of Christianity. — Miss 
E. J. Whatley. 

Again we ask, " why " did not the age of 
"brain," to which we look back with wonder, 
admiring the "intellectual" achievements of 
those whose classical lore has not since been 
excelled — "Why" did not all this learning 
overthrow^ barbaric nsages, banish the dark- 
ness of superstition, humanize man, and intro- 
duce institutions of philanthropy ? Because 
the Gospel had not yet reached these nations. 
What old Athens needed for its moral cleans- 
ing was not more "brain," but a Paul to come 
with the Gospel of Christ and before the altar 
bearing the Free Thinker's inscription, 

"To the Unknown God," 

boldly exclaim : 

Whom, therefore, ye ignorantly worship, him de- 
clare I UNTO YOTL— Acts, XVII., 23. 

If the Bible is what Mr. Ingersoll affirms it 
to be, "why" do we not find the people in 
lands which have not been corrupted by it less 
"degraded" than in heathen (?) America? 
5 



34 INGERSOLL ANSWERED 

Why do we not see there the highest type 
of civilization I 

The Bible has not yet "spread the pall of 
superstition" over those countries. tk Free 
Religion," to a great extent, prevails, and yet 
what infidel would wish to settle down in the 
midst of these savages, whose minds have not 
been darkened by the "bigotry" of Revela- 
tion I 

The following extracts show the condition of 
people who have not been " corrupted " by the 
Bible : 

Glance at the tribe of Dahorne, Africa. We may 
naturally ask ourselves, what is the meaning of the 
Customs or So-Sin. This ceremony is the accepted 
mode of doing honor to the late king by sending hitn a 
number of attendants befitting his rank. Immediately 
after his burial at the Grand Customs, some five hundred 
attendants, both male and female, are despatched to the 
dead king, and ever afterward his train is swelled by those 
who are slain at the regular annual customs. Besides the 
Customs, there is scarcely a day when executions of a 
similar character do not take place. Whatever the king 
does must be reported to his father by a man who is first 
charged with the message and then killed. No matter how 
trivial the occasion may be, if a white man visits him. if 
he has a new drum made, or even if he moves from one 
house to another, a messenger is sent to tell his father. 
And if, after the execution, the king should find that he 
has forgotten something, away goes another messenger, 
like the postscript of a letter. * * * We now come to 
the Grand Customs of Dahonae, which only take place once 
in a monarch's life time. * * * Each king tries to out- 
vie his predecessor by sacrificing a greater number of vie- 



FROM THE BIBLE. 35 

tims. or by inventing some new mode of performing the 
sacrifice. * * * If the new king finds that he has not 
a sufficient number of victims to do honor to his father's 
memory, and at least to equal those whom his father sacri- 
ficed when he came to the throne, he must wait until the 
required number can be made up. The usual method of 
doing so is to go to war with some tribe with whom there 
is a feud. * * * On the great day of the Grand Cus- 
toms the king appears on a platform, decorated according to 
Dahoman ideas in a most gorgeous manner, with clothes on 
which are rudely painted the figures of various animals. 
Around him are his favorite wives and his principal 
officers, each of the latter being distinguisned by his great 
umbrella. Below is the vast surging crowd of negroes of 
both sexes, wild with excitement and rum, and rending 
the air with their yells of welcome to their sovereign. In 
recognition of their loyalty he flings among them heads 
of cowries, strings of beads, rolls of cloth and similar val- 
uables, for wnich they fight and scramble and tear each 
other like so many wild beasts — and, indeed, for the time, 
they are as fierce and as ruthless as the most savage beasts 
that the earth holds. After these specimens of the royal 
favor are distributed, the cries and yells begin to take 
shape and gradually resolve themselves into praises of the 
king and appeals to his bounty. " We are hungry, O 
King ! ; ' they cry ; "Feed us, O King, for we are hungry !" 
And this ominous demand is repeated with increasing fury 
until the vast crowd have lashed themselves to a pitch of 
savage fury which nothing but blood can appease. And 
blood they have in plenty. The victims are now brought 
forward, each being gagged in order to prevent him from 
crying out to the king for nercy, in which case he must be 
immediately released, and they are firmly secured by being 
lashed inside baskets so that they can move neither head, 
hand nor foot. At the sight of the victims the yells of the 
crowd below redouble and the air is rent with the cry, 
'" We are hungry ! Feed us, O King !" 



6b INGEESOLL ANSWERED 

Presently the deafening yells are hushed into a death like 
silence as the king rises and with his own hand or foot 
pushes one of the victims off the platform into the midst 
of the crowd below. The helpless wretch falls into the 
outstretched arms of the eager crowd, the basket is rent to 
atoms by a hundred hands ; and in a shorter time than it 
has taken to write this sentence, the man has been torn 
limb from limb, while around each portion of the still 
quivering body a mass of infuriated negroes are fighting 
like so many starved dogs over a bone. — Uncivilized Races 
of the World, pages 578-582. 

Glance at the Great Ju-ju house of the tribe 
of Bonney, on the west coast of Africa : 

The great Ju-ju house of the plaoe is a most ghastly-look- 
ing edifice, and is well described by Captain Burton. It is 
built of swish and is an oblong, roofless house of 
forty or fifty feet in length. A sort of altar is placed at 
the end, sheltered from the rain by a small roof of its own. 
Under the roof are nailed rows of human skulls, mostly 
painted in different colors, aud one of them is conspicuous 
by a large black beard, which is doubtless a rude copy of 
the beard worn by the man to whom it originally belonged. 
Between them are rows of goat skulls streaked with red 
and white, while other skulls are strewn about the floor 
and others again are impaled on the tops of sticks. Under 
the altar is a round hole, wit'i a raised clay rim, in which 
is received the blood of the victims, together with the 
sacred libations. Within this Ju-ju house are buried the 
bodies of the kings. This house well illustrates the charac- 
ter of the people — a race which takes positive pleasure in 
the sight of blood, and in inflicting and witnessing pain. 
All over the country the traveler comes upon scenes of 
blood, pain and suffering. There is hardly a village where 
he does not come upon animals tied in some agonizing posi- 
tion and left to die there. Goats and fowls are mostly 
fastened to posts with their heads downward, and blood is 



FROM THE BIBLE. 37 

the favorite color for painting the faces of men. Even the 
children of prisoners taken in war — the war in question 
being mostly an unsuspected attack on an unprepared vil- 
lage — are hung by the middle from the masts of the canoes, 
while the parents are reserved to be sacrificed and eaten. 
# * * King Peppel gave a gr«at banquet in honor of a 
victory which he had gained over Calabar, and in which 
Amakree, the king of that district, was taken prisoner. 
The European traders were invited to the banquet and most 
hospitably entertained. They were, however, horrified to 
see the principal dish which was placed before Peppel. It 
was the bleeding heart of Amakree, warm and palpitating, 
as it was torn, from the body. Peppel devoured the heart 
with the greatest eagerness, exclaiming at the same time, 
" This is the way I serve my enemies !" — Uncivilized Races 
of the World, page 601. 

The instances of Kaffir cruelty, the different 
kinds of torture inflicted upon one who is sup- 
posed to be accessory to the illness of his 
king, and the burial of Mnande Tchaka's 
mother, on the second day after her death, with 
ten of the best looking girls in the kraal en- 
closed alive in the same grave, together with 
the terrible scenes of bloodshed before the 
burial, and the bloodshed that followed for a 
year afterward, are enough to chill a heart of 
adamant. 

Mr. Campbell, for years a missionary in 
India, makes the following statement : 

When a disease raged in the family of a monarch a 
human sacrifice was demanded, to appease the offended 
Deity ; and nothing less precious than the life of an only 
son would satisfy the demon. For this purpose hundreds 
of poor children were stolen from surrounding districts, 



38 1NGERSOLL ANSWERED 

kept in dungeons and fattened as sheep and oxen for the 
slaughter. 

Again he says : 

At the seed time, the farmers of a district would meet 
and select a human being for a sacrifice, bind it to the altar 
and devote it to the most barbarous death. One farmer 
would come and with a large knife take a slice from the 
victim, carry it to his field, pressing the blood out of it 
while it was yet warm, and then bury it in the earth. A 
second, a third and a fourth would come and act a similar 
part, till the wretched man was sliced in pieces while he 
was yet alive. And all this to obtain the favor of their god, 
and that no curse or blight might rest upon their land, that 
they might obtain a richer harvest by enriching their land 
by the blood of sacrifice. 

Space forbids a narration of further heathen 
horrors, which might be multiplied ad infini- 
tum, did our limits permit. 

If the Bible is u the real oppressor, enslaver 
and corrupter of the people," then "why" do 
infidels seek protection under the shadow of 
its wing? "Why" do they not pack up and 
move en masse away from its " degrading' ' 
influences, and dwell among those races which 
have not been "corrupted " by the Bible \ 

Simply because they "know" the Sacred 
Word is the forerunner of safety and happi- 
ness, and no infidel of "brain" would seek a 
residence where its hallowed light has never 
shone. True civilization is always preceded 
by the planting of the standard of the cross. 
Where the Bible and Christianity go, con. 



FROM THE BIBLE. 39 

science goes, also a true standard of right and 
wrong. When the two former leave, the two 
latter also leave ; all distinction between right 
and wrong is obliterated, and nothing is left 
but heathen darkness. 

What millionaire or moneyed corporation 
would have the influence of Christianity ut- 
terly withdrawn from the nation? If the 
Bible is such a bad book, why do not capitalists 
invest their immense wealth in heathen lands \ 

There was once a vessel wrecked on -one of the South Sea 
Islands. There was on board a sailor who had been there 
before, and who knew that the people were cannibals. 
And when the ship was wrecked, and they were cast away 
on this shore, they knew there was no hope for them, for 
they saw no way to escape. The sailor, however, climbed 
up on a. hill-top to reconnoitre a little. Presently his ship- 
mates saw him swinging his arms in great excitement, and 
inquired what was the matter. He had just seen over the 
hill the steeple of a meeting-house I That was what took 
all the fear of trouble out of his soul. He knew that 
church spire made his neck safe on that cannibal island. 

Now, infidels know that fact just as well as he did. 
Years ago, a young infidel was traveling in the West with 
his uncle, a banker, and they were not a little anxious for 
their safety when they were forced to stop for a night in a 
rough wayside cabin. There were two rooms in the house ; 
and when they retired for the night they agreed that the 
young man should sit with his pistols, and watch until 
midnight, and then awaken his uncle, who should watch 
until morning. Presently they peeped through the crack, 
and saw their host, a rough-looking old man, in his bear- 
skin suit, reach up and take down a book — a Bible ; and 
after reading it awhile, he knelt and began to pray ; and 
then the young infidel began to pull off his coat and get 



40 INGERSOLL ANSWERED 

ready for bed. The uncle said, " I thought you were going 
to sit up and watch." But the young man knew there was 
no need of sitting up, pistol in hand, to watch all night 
long in a cabin that was hallowed by the word of God, and 
consecrated by the voice of prayer. Would a pack of car ;s, 
a rum-bottle, or a copy of the Age of Reason, have thus 
quieted this young infidel's fears ? 

Every one knows that where this book has influence, it 
makes things safe. — The Inspiration of the Bible, by H. L. 
Hastings. 

The Bible is like the thundering falls of 
Niagara. From whatever point viewed, they 
present a grand appearance. One standing on 
the Canada shore might exclaim how broad, 
while one on the deck of the steamer, gazing 
upward, might say how high, and one on 
Goat Island might cry how deep, but from 
whatever point seen, they are grand. Thus 
w T ith the Word of God. From whatever posi- 
tion it is candidly viewed, it is found to be the 
most wonderful of all Books, carrying light, 
gladness and security wherever its teachings 
are heeded by man. 



IX. 

Bible Readers. 

ingersoll.. 

There is no crime that Bible readers and Bible believers 
and Bible worshipers and Bible defenders have not com- 
mitted. There is no meanness of which some Bible reader, 
believer, and defender, has not been guilty. Bible belie v- 



EEoM THE BIBLE. 41 

ers and Bible defenders have filled the world' with calum- 
nies and slanders. Bible believers and Bible defenders 
have not only whipped their wives, but they have mur- 
dered them ; they have murdered their children. — Inter- 
views on Talmage-, page 13. 

BIBLE. 

Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter 
into the kingdom of heaven, but he that doeth the will of 
my Father which is in heaven. — Jesus, Matthew vii.. 21. 

They profess that they know God, but in works they deny 
him.— Titus 1, 16. 

The Bible continually discriminates between 
those simply professing godliness and true 
Christians, and discountenances the former as 
much as does the infidel world, 

Ingersoll, in his attack on Christians and 
Christianity, signally tails to properly discrim- 
inate between the traeand the false, when "as 
a matter of fact" there is as much difference 
between the true and the false in the Christian 
Religion as there is between real fire and a pic- 
ture of fire. We are as much opposed to the 
bad in so-called Christianity as any infidel. 
But we must not judge all professors of relig- 
ion by the hypocrisy of "wolves in sheep's 
clothing." Would we know Christ's estimate 
of hypocrites \ Read the twenty-third chap- 
ter of Matthew. 

it is unfair to point to the Benedict Arnolds 
in the church and judge all its members by 
these. A thorn apple hung on a peach tree 
6 



42 INGERSOLL ANSWERED 

does not prove it to be the fruit of the 
peach tree. Too many thorn apples are found 
in the professed church. They are not the 
legitimate fruit of the Christian Religion, but 
the result of infidelity in the church. Jesus 
scourged the hypocrite because hypocrisy in 
his cause meant infidelity in his cause. Hy- 
pocrisy in the church means infidelity in the 
church. The infidel outside of the church may 
or may not be a hypocrite, but the hypocrite 
in the church is certainly an infidel, and we are 
willing one infidel shall expose another. Let 
Infidelity unearth the temple of Hypocrisy, 
which is one of the causes of Infidelity outside 
the church, and when this building shall be 
completely overthrown, the foundations of 
Atheism will tremble as never before. The 
hypocrite in the church is the outgrowth of 
treason and infidelity ; he is a renegade from 
the ranks of Atheism who has stolen the 
livery of heaven in which to serve the devil. 
Better for any community to have ten consist- 
ent Christians, than a thousand professors of 
religion, nine hundred and ninety of whom, 
by their infidelity and hypocrisy, give the lie 
to Christianity. 

The conscience of multitudes of professed 
Christians is stupefied by inhaling the chloro 
form of w r orldliness or Ingersollism, and yet 
would Ingersoll annihilate the Church 1 



PROM THE BIBLE. 43 

Would he utterly abolish the institution be- 
cause many of her members are not what they 
profess to be % Would he destroy the civil 
government and usher in the reign of commu- 
nistic terror because there are rascals in high 
position in the government? This is the in- 
evitable conclusion of his reasoning. These 
false professors existed in the time of Christ, 
and probably will to the end of the world. 
Tares in the field do not prove that there is no 
golden wheat growing there. It will not 
answer to judge the whole field by the ugly 
tares. Would Ingersoll and his atheistic com- 
panions have us judge of their life and charac- 
ter by that of some infidels we might mention \ 
Will they accept the same test for Infidelity 
which they apply to Christianity ? 

Separation from sin is Christ's " doctrine," 
is Bible "doctrine," from Genesis to Revela- 
tion. Whether infidels will discriminate be- 
tween the true and the false or not, Grod does. 

But against any of the children of Israel shall not a dog 
move his tongue, against man or beast ; that ye may know 
that the Lord doth put a difference between the Egyptians 
and Israel. — Ex. xi., 7. 

Ye cannot serve God and Mammon. — Jesus, Matthew vi., 
24. 

And, let every one that nameth the name of Christ de- 
part from iniquity. — 2 Tim. it., 19. 

Wherefore come out from a-nong them, and be ye sepa- 
rate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing ; and 
I will receive you, and will be a father unto you, and ye 



44 INGERSOLL ANSWERED 

shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty. 
—2 Cor. vi., 17-18. 

In the day of Judgment the difference be- 
tween the true and the false will be more clearly 
discovered. 

Then shall ye return and discern between the right- 
eous and the wicked, between him that serveth God and him 
that serveth him not. — Mat. in., 18. 

There are many in the churches who are 
heeding the above commands and know by an 
experimental knowledge that Jesns has power 
still on earth to forgive sins and to cleanse from 
all unrighteousness. 

They are "living epistles," the "salt of the 
earth;" they live in the world and yet they are 
not of the world. They stay on earth ; their 
eternal home is in heaven. These have realized 
the fulfillment of the promise : 

They shall be abundantly satisfied with the fatness of 
thy house.— Isa. xxxvi., 8. 

They have turned away from the stagnant 
pools of pleasure and slake their thirst at the 
crystal River of Life. The moment the infidel 
cites us to the hypocite, that moment he ad- 
raits that Christianity teaches a higher code of 
morals than other systems. He then unwit- 
tingly acknowledges the truth of the Word of 
God, and its claims upon men, by expecting 
" Bible Readers " to live holy lives. If the 
Bible is the "degrader" of the race, why ex- 



FROM THE BIBLE. 45 

pect " Bible Believers" to live better than 
other people \ Why make more ado over a 
" Bible defender's" fall than the downfall of 
any other man? If an infidel "whips" or 
4 ' murders ' ' his wife there is not such, a com- 
motion as when a professed Christian is guilty 
of any immorality. " Why" is this? Because 
the Bible is God's book and teaches a higher 
standard of morality than any other volume 
and infidels and the world, acknowledge this 
by expecting Christians to live in harmony 
with its teachings. There is not so great a stir 
over the fall of an infidel because his life is not 
expected to harmonize with the teachings of 
the Bible. 



X. 

The Bible and "Moral Filth." 

INGERSOLX.. 

Many things are recounted in Genesis, and other books 
attributed to Moses, of which I do not wish to speak. There 
are many pages of these books unfit to read, many stories 
not calculated, in my judgment, to improve the morals of 
mankind. I do not wish even to call the attention of my 
readers to these things, except in a general way. It is to 
be hoped that the time will come when such chapters and 
passages as cannot be read without leaving the blush of 
shame upon the cheek of modesty , will be left out, and not 
published as a part of the bible. If there is a God, it cer- 
tainly is blasphemous to attribute to him the authorshijD of 



46 IXGERSOLL ANSWERED 

pages too obscene, beastly and vulgar to be read in the 
presence of men and women. 

The believers of the bible are loud in their denunciation 
of what they are pleased to call the immoral literature of 
the world; and yet few books have been published contain- 
ing more moral filth than this inspired word of God. — Some 
Mistakes of Moses, pages, 176, 177. 

The above comes with very ill grace from a 
man who petitioned Congress to remove the 
restrictions in reference to sending "moral 
filth" through the United States mails. 

Id 1873 Congress passed an excellent law forbidding vend- 
ers of infamous literature to tamper with the national 
mails, and appointing an efficient postal expert, specially 
charged with the dut} r of exposing the violators of the stat- 
ute. It is highly significant that nobody complained and 
nobody thought of complaining of the law except infidels, 
free religionists, and corrupt publishers. A petition was 
sent to Congress in 1878 in favor of the repeal of the postal 
law of 1873. * * * 

Forty-fifth Congress, second session, House of Representa- 
tives, report No. 888, n peal of certain sections of the Revised 
Statutes, May 31, 1878, laid on the table, and ordered to 
be printed. 

Mr. Bicknell, from the committee on the Revision of the 
Laws, submitted the following report: "The committee 
on the revision of the Laws to whom was referred the pe- 
tition of Robert G. Ingersoll and others, praying for the 
repeal or modification of sections 1785. 3878, 3893, 5389, and 
2491, of the Revised Statutes, have had the same under con- 
sideration and have heard the petitioners at length. In 
the opinion of your committee the post office iras not estab- 
lished to carry instruments of vice or obscene writings, inde- 
cent pictures or leivd books. Your committee believe 
that the statutes in question do not violate the Constitution 
of the United States, and ought not to be changed; they rec- 



FROM THE BIBLE. 47 

ommend therefore that the prayer of said petitioners be de- 
nied." The unimpeachable authority of this document 
shows what was asked for, and who asked for it and why 
it was not granted. — Boston Monday Lectures, pages 6-7. 

The above act of Ingersoll's ought to "bring 
the blush of shame" to the " cheek" of infi- 
delity. Is this act a part of Ingersoir s ' 'Grand 
Religion of Humanity i" 

If the Bible is an " obscene " book he ought, 
according to the above petition, to aid in its 
circulation. The very fact that infidels oppose 
it is proof that it opposes their wickedness. 

Ingersoll is continually holding up Shakes- 
peare as a model, and yet could he sit down 
and read Venus and Adonis, or the Rape of 
Lucrece, to a promiscuous company without 
"leaving the blush of shame upon the cheek of 
modesty?" The Bible nowhere gilds vice as 
does Shakespeare. It does not clothe it in 
beautiful garments. It does not administer 
poison by covering it with a sugar coat. It re- 
fers to what has transpired in simple language 
and never apologises for sin. 

ING£R§OLL. 

Shakespeare, the greatest of the human race, who did 
more to elevate mankind than all the priests who ever lived 
and died. — Orthodoxy, page 42. 

Shakespeare, * * * the greatest man this world has 
known. — Interviews on Talmage, page 298. 

Stand aside, all ye heroes and martyrs of all 
ages — stand one side, Moses, Abraham, Daniel, 



48 1NGERS0LL ANSWERED 

Paul, Luther, Wesley. Bunyan, Howard, Wil- 
ber force — doff your hats to Shakespeare, hold 
your breath while " the greatest of the human 
race" passes by. Aye, let Jesus of Nazareth, 
" that great and serene man," stand one side 
and bow his head in silence as u Shakespeare, 
the greatest man this world has ever known," 
passes on. 

The lynx eyes of infidels have never found a 
spot on the character of Jesus, but Shakes- 
peare, whom Ingersoll affirms was ''greater" 
than the Son of God, fell into sin. 

As soon as may be after the 28th November, 1583, on 
which day the licea e was procure! at Worcester, Shakes- 
peare, a lively lad going nineteen, was married to Anne 
Hathaway of Shottery, a hamlet some mile or so out of 
Stratford, a damsel about eight years older than himself; 
and six months afterwards a daughter was born to him, 
whose baptism bears record 26th May, 1583. — Chambers'' 
Encyclopceclia. 

The inference from the above is very clear ; 
but passing by this period of his early history, 
and we learn that in more advanced years he 
was not pure, as may be seen from the passion- 
ate confessions of his sonnets in portions of 
which the self -reference is too plain to be de- 
nied. 

With all his greatness, with all his genius, 
for he was a mm of wonderful genius, with all 
his amiable traits of character, he was not like 
the spotless Lamb of God, who was an example 
of the greatest of all greatness. 



FROM THE BIBLE. 49 

Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth — 
I. Peter ii., 22. 

The light of eighteen centuries has been con- 
centrated upon the life of Christ. Infidelity 
has searched in vain to discover some flaw 
therein. It has misrepresented his words and 
teachings, but never found a single defect in 
the Son of God. 

This cannot be said of the founders of other 
religions. They had defects and some of them 
lived immoral lives, while the concurrent tes- 
timony of the ages, by both christian and 
infidel, is that Jesus lived a spotless life. 

ING£R§OLL. 

It may be said that it is unfair to call attention to cer- 
tain bad things in the Bible while the good are not so much 
as mentioned. To this it may be replied that a divine be- 
ing would not put bad things in a book. Certainly a be- 
ing of infinite intelligence, power and goodness could never 
fall below the ideal of depraved and barbarous man. — The 
Christian Religion, page 8. 

And the Divine being has not put "bad 
things" in the Bible in the sense of teaching 
or upholding them. " Bad things" are men- 
tioned, as the inspired historian could not be 
truthful and omit them where they existed. 
If the Bible were forged, the defects 
of the characters mentioned might have 
been concealed, but God writes history 
as it is. Man may conceal, cover up and 
misrepresent, but God does not. Had He con- 
7 



50 INGERSOLL ANSWERED 

cealed the wicked acts of those who sinned, or 
were hypocrites, he would have been untruth- 
ful. The artist, after photographing homely or 
deformed features, may cover up the defects, 
but when God photographs manor history, He 
leaves the picture as it is. 

Suppose a young man goes, say froni the country, down 
to the city. Perhaps he is a rich man's son, who has had 
more money than was good for him at home, and who 
comes to the city to see the sights. He sails around in dan- 
gerous waters, and slips into various ports that are not ex- 
actly safe, and the next morning finds him hauled up be- 
fore His Honor in the police court. You get a morning pa- 
per, and you expect to find the full particulars of the ca:>e. 
You do, do you ? You find a paragraph on this wise: " A 
certain young man from the rural districts came to town 
yesterday, sailed around in different parts of the city, and 
fell into rather bad company. This morning he was brought 
up before His Honor, who admonished him to be more care- 
ful in the future, and he departed a sadder and wiser young 
man." This is the kind of paragraph you will find in the 
papers when a rich man's son comes to the city, goes on a 
spree, and has his head smashed and his eye banged in a 
fight; you don't get many particulars. But if h** is a poor 
vagabond, without a second shirt to his back, you can get 
his name, and perhaps his genealogy for generations, and 
all the particulars of his case. This is the way men write 
history; but when the Lord undertakes to tell his story of a 
sinful man, he does not select a poor, miserable beggar, 
and show him up, he does not give even the name of the 
thief on the cross, nor of the wretched outcast who bathed 
the Saviour's feet with her tears, nor of the guilty woman 
to whom he said, "Neither do I condemn thee; go in peace, 
and sin no more;" but he takes King David from the throne 
and sets him down in sackcloth and ashes, and wrings from 
his heart the cry, " Have mercy upon me, OGod, according 



FROM THE BIBLE. 51 

to thy loving-kindness ; according to the multitude of thy 
tender mercies blot out all my transgressions." And then 
when he is pardoned, forgiven, cleansed, and made whiter 
than snow, the pen of inspiration writes down the whole dark 
damning record of his crimes, and the king on his throne 
has not power, nor wealth, nor influence enough to blot 
the page ; and it goes into history for infidels to scoff at for 
three thousand years. Who wrote that? — Inspiration, of 
the Bible, by H. L. Hastings. 

A strong argument in favor of the Scriptures 
is the fact that they record the bad deeds of 
men as well as the good. The Evangelists re- 
late their own unfaithfulness, which proves 
them to be honest men, and hence proves the 
truth of what they wrote. It is always be- 
lieved that a witness, who will state facts in 
court, condemning himself, which he might 
have concealed, will tell the truth in reference 
to other matters. 



XL 

C. 
Children. 



INGERSOLL. 

These inspired gentlemen knew nothing of the rights of 
children. They were the advocates of brute force— th e dis- 
ciples of the lash. They knew nothing of human rjghts. 
Their doctrines have brutalized the homes of millions, and 
filled the eyes of infancy with tears. — The Ghosts and Other 
Lectures, page 141. 

A Ghost ! and nothing more. 



52 IXGERSOLL ANSWERED 

BIBLE. 

Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he 
is old, he will not depart from it. — Proverbs xxii., 6. 

Is it the Atheists' Bible that speaks of chil 
drenas "arrows in the hand of a mighty man," 
"Olive plants," "Corner stones" and 
"Lambs ?" 

Was it Ingersoll who said : 

Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto 
me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven? — Matthew 
xix., 14. 

Who was it that wrote : 

Fathers, provoke not your children to anger lest they be 
discouraged. — Col. iii., 21. 

It is infidelity and not Christianity that "bru- 
talizes" children. 

The Canaanites sacrificed their offsprings 
to Moloch, which the Jews were forbidden to 
do, the ancient Romans exposed theirs to dan- 
ger, and heathen, not Christian nations to day 
offer their little ones as a sacrifice to false gods. 
Mohammedanism frowns upon mother and 
child. The Chinese are noted for the destruc- 
tion of their babes, and the Hindoo mother 
casts her infant into the Ganges, but Revealed 
Religion commands us to bring them up in the 
nurture and admonition of the Lord. (Ephe- 
sians, vi., 4.) 

Atheism and Barbarism would leave the 
children out in the cold, but Christianity offers 



FROM THE BIBLE. 53 

to u cover their defenseless heads with the 
shadow of its wing." 

IXGERSOLL.. 

Give your children freedom ; let them preserve their in- 
dividuality. Let your children eat what they desire, and. 
commence at the end of a dinner they like. That is their 
business and not yours. They know what they wish to eat. If 
they are given their liberty from the first, they know what 
they want better than any doctor in the world can pre- 
scribe. — The Ghosts and Other Lectures, page 130. 

What would be the result of adopting the 
above doctrine is seen by the following quota- 
tion from W. F. Crafts : 

A little bit of a girl wanted more and more buttered toast 
till she was told that too much would make her sick. Look- 
ing wistfully at the dish for a moment, she thought she 
saw a way out of her difficulty, and exclaimed, "Well, 
give me annuzer piece, and send for the doctor ! " 

Mr. Ingersoll, in connection with his theory of childhood, 
often refers to the fact that he leaves his pocket book 
around where his children can help themselves to what- 
ever they wish, and urges the same course upon all parents. 
It is said that one of the lecturer's admirers, being con- 
vinced that this was the correct theory, determined to give 
up punishing his child, and try the new plan. Accord- 
ingly, he said to his boy, "John, I am convinced I have 
been taking the wrong course to try to make you a better 
boy. I am going to trust you more, and give up whip- 
pings. I am going away for a few days, and I have left 
my pocket book in the top drawer of the bureau. Help 
yourself to the money whenever you need it." After a 
few days the father returned to his home, late at night. 
As he opened the door he etumbled over a large canoe in 
the entry, and was then attacked by a large bull-dog that 
his boy had bought. Entering the boy's room, he found it 



54 INGERSOLL ANSWERED 

hung round with guns, and fishing poles, and daggers, 
with another canoe, and several small dogs — his pocket- 
book lying empty on top of the bureau. He is now less 
enthusiastic in regard to Ingersoll's knowledge of domestic 
government. 



XII. 
Creation and Desigx. 

The following is from "Ingersoll Cate- 
chised," pages 6 and 7. Our reply is inserted 
alternately with the quotations. 

Ingersoll : If there were any evidences of design in the 
Universe, certainly they would tend to prove a designer, 
but they would not prove a creator. 

Answ t er : Blind indeed the man who can 
see no trace of design in the Universe, and 
must introduce the subject with an "If." 
Men of "brain" in every age have seen evi- 
dences of " design " in the Universe upon which 
they have looked with wonder and admiration. 
Nature teems with these "evidences," from 
the smallest flower that blooms, up to the blaz- 
ing sun. To enumerate them would flood the 
world with books. Surely a being who can All 
a Universe with such traces of design, can 
create a Universe. 

Ingersoll : Design does not prove creation. A man 
makes a machine. That does not prove that he made the 
material out of which the machine is constructed. 

Answer: No, but it proves the existence 



FROM THE BIBLE. 55 

of a power higher than and superior to the ma- 
chine. It proves a designer, a thinker, whom 
we call man, and man showing evidences of de- 
sign in his construction proves that he was de- 
signed, and his designer we call God. There 
can be no design without a designer any more 
than there can be thought without a thinker. 

Ingersoll : You find the planets arranged in accord- 
ance with what you call a plan. That does not prove 
that they were created. It may prove that they are gov- 
erned, but it certainly does not prove that they were cre- 
ated. 

Answer : In the above he tacitly admits 
just what Christians attempt to prove about 
God from the " evidences of design." Here is 
an acknowledgement that the planets being ar- 
ranged according to a "plan" "may prove 
that they are governed," which certainly im- 
plies a governor, and this governor we call God. 
That this God is self -existent and eternal we 
prove from his own inspired word, the Bible. 
This declares that " In the beginning God cre- 
ated the heavens and the earth," (Gen. i., 1. 
See also Isa, xc, 2, xciii., 2;Micah v., 2; Jer- 
emiah lyii., 15 ; Jer. x., 10 ; Micah v., 2 ; 1 Sam. 
xv., 29 ; Deut., xxxiii., 27 ;1 Tim. i., 17; Heb. 
ix., 19.) 

To disprove the existence of a God, Ingersoll 
must erase all traces of design from the Uni- 
verse, and to disprove his self-existence and 
eternity he must demolish the Bible. To do 



56 INGERSOLL ANSWERED 

this lie must answer the arguments of Chris- 
tian authors in its favor, which everywhere 
stare him in the face. Instead of so doing he 
has either given the Bible itself a very super- 
ficial reading, or he is very unfair in his state- 
ments regarding its contents. 

If, as he affirms, " An argument is absolute- 
ly fresh and has upon its leaves the dew of 
morning, until it has been refuted," (Inge? soil 
Catechised, page7,)he should examine standard 
Christian authors upon this question and blush. 
Had he done this before attacking the Bible 
with wholesale slander he might have been in- 
duced to use his talent in the dissemination of 
truth instead of planting thorns for his dying 
pillow. It is much easier to tell falsehoods 
about the Bible than to show that it is false. 

Ingersoll : Is it consistent to say that a design cannot 
exist without a designer, but that a designer can ? Does 
not a designer need a design as much as a design needs a 
designer ? Does not a creator need a creator as much as the 
thing we think has been created? 

Answer: To use his "machine 1 ' illustra- 
tion, that depends upon whether you put 
"brains" into the "machine" and make it 
the equal of the maker. If the thing designed 
were equal to the designer, then the "designer 
might need a design as much as a design needs 
a designer." Bat when we try to tell what is 
or what is not the need of the Infinite God, we 
attempt to strike out beyond the sphere of finite 



FROM THE BIBLE. 57 

minds. Upon this verge the Christian pauses, 
takes God's revealed word for what he cannot 
comprehend, and wonders and adores the in- 
comprehensible Deity. When Mr. Ingersoll 
will direct us to as many evidences of design 
upon the Christian's God, giving proof of the 
existence of a being superior to God, as are 
found in Nature showing the existence of its 
superior, then we will admit that God needs a 
designer or maker. It will not answer to as- 
sume that these evidences exist, as he does, 
since this is the very thing to be proved. 
While Mr. Ingersoll scouts the idea of a self- 
existent and eternal God, he has strong faith in 
a self -existent and eternal universe, since he 
says : ' ' The universe, according to my idea, 
is, always was, and forever will be" (The 
Christian Religion, page 49.) 

Ingersoll : In other words, is not this simply a circle 
of human ignorance ? Why not say that the Universe has 
existed from eternity, as well as to say that a creator has 
existed from eternity 'I 

Answer: And "why" not say that a Cre- 
ator has existed from eternity as well as to say 
that a Universe has existed from eternity \ 

Ingersoll : And do you not thus avoid at least one 
absurdity by saying that the universe has existed from 
eternity, instead of saying that is was created by a creator 
who existed from eternity ? 

Answer: Which is the greater "absurd- 



08 INGERSOLL ANSWERED 

ity," to believe in an eternal Universe, or an 
eternal God who created it ? 

We avoid all "absurdities" by believing the 
Bible account of creation. 

Ingersoll : Because if your creator existed from eter- 
nity, and created the Universe, there was a time when he 
commenced. 

Answer: Because if your Evolution God 
existed from eternity and evolved a race there 
was a time when he commenced. Who " com- 
menced " man % Who commenced the monad ? 

Ingersoll : And back of that, (commencement,) accord- 
ing to Shelley, is "an eternity of idleness." 

Answer: And "according to" Ingersoll, 
"back" of the "commencement" of the 
monad, Evolution existed in an "eternity of 
idleness." 

Ingersoll : Some people say that God existed from 
eternity, and has created eternity. It is impossible to con- 
ceive of an act coequal with eternity. If you say that God 
has existed forever, and has alw ays acted, then you make 
the universe eternal, and you make the universe as old as 
God. 

Answer : And if you say that the power 
of evolution has existed forever, and has al- 
ways acted, then you make the thing evolved, 
eternal, and you make the thing evolved as old 
as evolution, and further you destroy evolution 
unless evolution evolved itself. 

Ingersoll : And if the universe be as old as God he 
certainly did not create it. 

Answer: And if the thing evolved be as 



FROM THE BIBLE. 59 

old as evolution, evolution certainly did not 
ewlve the thing evolved. Will Mr. Ingersoll 
accept his own logic % 

Ingersoll : These questions of origin and destiny — of 
infinite gods — are beyond the powers of the human mind. 
They cannot be solved. 

Answer : And yet he believes in a self-ex- 
istent, eternal universe. Is not such a prob- 
lem u beyond the powers of the human mind." 
Despite his efforts to turn from that which he 
cannot "solve," he is a believer in the incom- 
prehensible. 

Ingersoll : We might as well try to travel fast enough 
to get beyond the horizon. It is like a man trying to run 
away from his girdle. 

Answer : Or like an infidel trying to run 
away from Revelation, and explain these ques- 
tions by the lamp of reason. 

Ingersoll : Consequently, I believe in turning our at- 
tention to things of importance. 

Answer : Such as demolishing God and the 
Bible, which " are beyond the powers of the 
human mind." 

Ingersoll : To questions that may by some possibility 
be solved. 

Answer: " Indeed! Can he "solve" the 
" question" of Evolution \ 

Ingersoll : It is of no importance to me whether God 
exists or not. 

Answer : It may not seem to be now, but 
it will be hereafter. 



60 INGERSOLL ANSWERED 

Ingersoll : I exist. 

Answer : Is lie sure of it \ How can he 
"conceive " such a startling fact \ 

Ingersoll : And it is important to be happy while 
I exist. 

Answer: But suppose he is to exist for- 
ever, is it not important that he look after his 
eternal happiness? 

Ingersoll : Therefore I had better turn my attention 
to finding out the secret of happiness, instead of trying 
to ascertain the secret of the Universe. 

Answer : The "secret of happiness " is to 
be found in the Atonement of Jesus as testified 
to in all ages, by myriads in life and in death. 

Ingersoll : I say with regard to God, I do not know ; 
and therefore I am accused of being arrogant and egotistic. 

Answer : If Ingersoll has according to his 
Darwinianism developed from the "lower ani- 
mals" and does not yet "know" whether 
there is a God or not, will he tell us how many 
more evolutions the unbeliever must pass 
through, and how many ages hence will it be 
ere the infidel will be sufficiently far advanced 
from his progenitors to decide this question \ 

He "turns his attention " strongly to Evolu- 
tion and believes that the greatest human in- 
tellect was evolved from the monad, though 
no such traces of partially evolved men now 
appear. Can he explain or comprehend this 
process of development \ He cannot trace even 
the monad to its source. To attempt it would 



FROM THE BIBLE. 61 

lead to the acknowledgment of a self-existent 
God. Does it not put a greater strain upon 
human credulity to believe that the mightiest 
intellect sprang from a self-existent monad 
than that it sprang from the fiat of a self -ex- 
istent God ? 

Webster defines Evolution thus: 

[Lat. Evolutio from Evolvere. * *] 1. The act of un- 
folding or unrolling ; hence in the process of growth, devel- 
opment ; as the evolution of a flower from a bud, or an 
animal from the egg. 2. A series of things unrolled or 
unfolded. * * * 

This "act of unfolding or unrolling" im- 
plies an "unf older" or " unroller," who 
commenced, continues, and regulates the won- 
derful process of evolution, especially in its 
application to the formation of mind. Cer- 
tainly the human intellect implies an "un- 
folder" or "unroller," unless mind "un- 
folded" or "unrolled" itself. This "unf old- 
er" or "unroller" either had a beginning, or 
he existed from eternity. If it is admitted 
that he always existed, then what is he but an 
eternal and self existent God. If this " un- 
f older" or "unroller" ever commenced to 
exist, something commenced or iDroduced it, 
else it commenced or produced itself, before 
any thing of this character existed, and we are 
driven to the conclusion that nothing produced 
something. Further, this nothing, according 
to Ingersoll, needed a producer, evolver, or 



62 INGERSOLL ANSWERED 

maker as much as the thing produced by it, 
since u a designer needs a design as much as 
a design needs a designer." But leaving this 
wonderful nothing and admitting that evolu- 
tion, or some other power did commence and 
produce man, then according to Ingersollian 
logic this "unfolder" or designer, or first ac- 
tor, in the universe, which evolved a race, 
must itself need a commencer, unfolder, or de- 
signer as much as the thing produced Will 
he tell us what this first unfolder or producer 
is, and then explain how his evolver was 
evolved, etc., and settle on a first actor or ac- 
tion short of a self-existent God ? He must 
either admit the existence of such a being, 
else admit that nothing juxKluced something 
and something evolved the race. It will not 
answer for him to say that matter existed from 
eternity, unmoved until evolution commenced 
its operation, unless he admits that the uni- 
verse is not only self-existent but existed in 
"an eternity of idleness I " 

Even admiting the eternity of matter does 
not help him out of this dilemma, for this first 
act upon this mass of idle matter, implies 
an actor, and this actor, being the first of 
all action in the universe, acting before all 
other action, must either have produced itself 
or was produced by nothing. Admitting for 
the argument's sake that this uncreated and 



FROM THE BIBLE. 63 

uncaused evolution, did commence evolving 
mind out of self-existent, idle matter, it com- 
menced a stupendous task, and executed it in 
such a manner as to appear so much like crea- 
tion, that we cannot consistently deny it the 
name. If, to make a keen intellect, a mind 
that can read the ages in the rocks of the earth, 
or sweep with a Newton's step the firmament, 
out of matter that had lain in a state of inert- 
ness from eternity, is not a creative act, will 
Ingersoll please define such an act \ 

According to his theory, no man existed 
until evolution made him, and man being the 
effect of evolution, evolution created a man 
who had no previous existence. It avails 
nothing to say that the process commenced 
with the monad, or low down in the scale of 
animal life, and proceeded gradually and im- 
perceptibly until the work of evolving a fully 
developed human being was completed, so long 
as the task was really performed. Because 
one is years in making a "machine" does not 
disprove the fact that he made it. 

If evolution commenced and kept its hand 
upon the herculean task of making man until 
finished, it is not only tbe beginner but the 
finisher of the mightiest intellect in the world 
as truly as if the work had been done in the 
twinkling of an eye. Then we have the work 
of creation, the creation of man, of "brain," 



64 INGERSOLL ANSWERED 

of intellect, performed by evolution which only 
proves the existence of the God of the Bible 
under another name. Does Ingersoll still in- 
sist that the universe exists without a maker, 
designer or guide 3 Then all things must ex- 
ist and move by chance, and we are left to the 
dreadful uncertainty of what may chance to 
evolve next. 

That some wonderful unseen power exists 
and moves things all around us, we know, and 
to abandon our scriptural view of an all- wise, 
loving and omnipotent God, and trust our 
selves in the hands of such powerful uncertain- 
ties and fearful chances, is extremely aj)palling 
to every thoughtful mind. 

We know not what such wonderful chance 
evolutions may do to effect our present and 
eternal destiny. Without a Bible we have no 
<mart, no compass, no rule, no authority, by 
which to judge of these terrific chances. We 
can only imagine what to expect by that which 
has already evolved under our own observa- 
tion, which with present woes, sickness, sor- 
rows, pain and death in the world renders the 
prospect anything but desirable. May we not 
justly fear that "evolved" man, by some freak 
of chance, may exist forever under the greatest 
suffering now known to the human race and 
even worse \ Certainly this would be no more 
wonderful than that which, according to Ineer- 



FROM THE BIBLE. 65 

soil's theory, Evolution has already accom- 
plished. What pledge has Evolution made to 
Mr. Xngersoll or to any one else of a more 
hopeful state of things in the future % Until 
he can give us some positive assurance of what 
his Evolution God intends to do with us, we 
shall cling to the G-od of Revelation, who has 
rilled his Bible with exceeding great and pre- 
cious promises. 

IMGERSOLL. 

Moses commences his story by telling us that in the be- 
ginning God created the heaven and the earth. * * 

It is impossible for me to conceive of something being 
created from nothing. Nothing, regarded in the light of a 
raw material, is a decided failure. I cannot conceive of 
matter apart from force. Neither is it possible to think of 
force disconnected with matter. You cannot imagine 
matter going back to absolute nothing. Neither can you 
imagine nothing being changed into something. You may 
be eternally damned if yon do not say that you can con- 
ceive these things, but you cannot conceive them. — Some 
Mistakes of Moses, page 56. 

I believe that man came up from the lower animals. — 
The Ghosts and Other Lectures, page 136. 

Are we to reject facts simply because we can- 
not " conceive " them % Must we not then dis- 
card Infidelity? Many intelligent people can- 
not "conceive" how the human race "came 
up from the lower animals," and simpty be- 
cause it is beyond their conception must it be 
false? Because w r e cannot conceive a thing, is 
no argument either for or against its existence. 



66 IXGERSOLL ANSWERED 

We cannot "conceive" how mind thinks, and 
on this account shall we conclude that the race 
are without thought \ We cannot " conceive " 
exactly the manner in which the sun shines 
Shall we therefore rashly conclude there i6 no 
sun? In short, we cannot "conceive" a Uni- 
verse. It is away beyond our conception. 
Shall we therefore say there is no Universe \ 

" Such reasoning in the light of a raw ma 
terial is a decided failure" 

If we are to be "eternally damned," if we do 
not "conceive" Ingersollian Philosophy, we 
shall go to perdition. 

INGERSOLL. 

Just as soon as the water was forced to run down hill, 
the dry land appeared, and the grass began to grow, and 
the mantles of green were thrown over the shoulders of 
the hills, and the trees 1 mghed into bud and blossom, and 
the branches were laden with fruit. And all this happened 
before a ray had left the quiver of the sun, before a glit- 
tering beam had thrilled the bosom of a flower, and before 
the Dawn with trembling hands had drawn aside the cur- 
tains of the East and welcomed to her arms the eager god 
of Day. — Some Mistakes of Moses, pages 67-68. 

BIBLE. 

And God said, let there be light, and there was light. — 
Gen. i., 3. 

The creation of grass is mentioned in the 
eleventh verse, and the creation of light in the 
third verse, so the creation of light is mentioned 
before " the mantles of green were thrown 



FROM THE BIBLE. 67 

over the shoulders of the hills." The Bible 
does not intimate that rhe "grass began to 
grow" " before a glittering beam had thrilled 
the bosom of a flower." 

INGEBSOLL. 

Moses says that God said on the third day ' ' Let the earth 
bring forth grass, the herbs yielding seed, and the fruit 
tree yielding fruit after his kind whose seed is in itself up 
on the earth and it was so." * * * There was nothing 
to eat the fruit ; not an insect with painted wings sought 
the honey from the flowers ; not a single living, breathing 
thing upon the earth. Plenty of grass, a great variety of 
herbs, an abundance of fruit, but not a mouth in all the 
world. — Some Mistakes of Moses, page 68. 

Query % If God had created the ' ' mouths ' ' 
to be fed before the "grass" and "fruit" 
appeared, wouid not Tngersoll then have criti- 
cised God's cruelty in keeping the starving 
animals waiting for something to eat while the 
food was being created % 

INGERSOLL. 

Nature is but an endless series of efficient causes. She 
cannot create, but she eternally transforms. — The Gods, 
page 58. 

The Moner is said to be the simplest form of animal life 
that has yet been found. * * * By taking this Moner 
as the commencement of animal life, or rather as the first 
animal, it is easy to follow the development of the organic 
structure through all the forms of life to man himself. — 
Some Mistakes of Moses, page 96 . 

"Why" does not Mr. Ingersoll inform us 
who "created" the Monad, or "Moner," as 



68 IXGERSOLL ANSWERED 

he calls it, instead of assuming its existence ? 
Where did this creature come from l Did 
he "create himself," or did he exist in an 
" eternity of idleness" until he was ready to 
commence the work of evolution \ If the lat- 
]er, "why" did he waste so much of time, or 
eternity, doing nothing, instead of commenc- 
ing his work sooner ? 

It is easy to take this little creature "as a 
commencement," after he has been "com- 
menced," but who "commenced" him \ What 
did the thing evolve from, that the monad 
evolved from, and soon ad infinitum ! Before 
"taking" him we desire to know who was his 
father? who was his mother \ Did he ever 
have any parents I Was he left an orphan \ 
If Ingersoll will answer our questions satisfac- 
torily we will invite his "Moner" in, give him 
a seat, and listen to his tale of how he " caused 
the detelopement of the organic structure 
through all the forms of life toman himself" 
What an interesting story it would be ! 

But really, what existed prior to this lit!]* 1 
being? Is it not more rational to say that 
there is an omnipotent God, who created man, 
than to attempt to account for the origin of 
all "animal life" from the monad, whose or- 
igin Infidelity cannot explain \ If it is an easy 
task to account for the origin of man by evo- 
lution, " Why " are there so many "missing 



FROM THE BIBLE. b9 

links?" "Why" is not the chain perfect? 
" Why " do we not find some half evolved speci- 
mens in every land \ If man has evolved from 
the Monad, what will he evolve into in com- 
ing ages 1 An angel, a devil or a God % Has 
the monad evolved a hell \ Why not \ Some 
of his progeny have been very wicked. What 
will he do with them \ 

Again, progression implies a beginning, a 
commencement, and w T e press the question : 
What existed before the monad \ What was 
nature "eternally transforming" then? 
What power woke up nature to activity % 
There must have been a progression from some- 
thing up to the monad, unless God made him 
or he made himself, and descending lower we 
must reach a beginning of the evolutions or an 
"eternity of idleness." 

INGERSOIiL. 

The universe, according to my idea, is, always was and 
forever will be. It did not "come into being," it is the one 
eternal bemg, the only thing that ever did, does or can 
exist. — The Christian Religion, page 49. 

My mind is such that I cannot possibly conceive of a 
" creation," neither can I conceive of an infinite being who 
dwelt in infinite space an infinite length of time. — Inter- 
views on Talmage, 254. 

What a " conceptive " intellect ! 

Here is a mind that can "conceive " that the 
[universe " always was and forever will be" 
but "cannot possibly conceive of a creation," 



70 INGERSOLL ANSWERED 

a mind that can conceive of a universe that ex- 
isted " in infinite space an infinite length of 
time since the universe is the only thing that 
ever did, does or can exist," but "cannot con- 
ceive of an infinite being who dwelt in infinite 
space an infinite length of time." 

INGERSOLL. 

Every effect must have had a cause, and every cause 
must have been an effect, therefore there could have 
been no first cause. A first cause is just as impossible as a 
last effect. — The Gods, page 57. 

Indeed ! Then the monad was both a "cause 1 ' 
and an "effect." He was, according to Inger- 
soll, the "cause" of higher animal life, and 
finally of man ; but wimt was he the " effect " 
of? Who "caused" him? Who "effected" 
him \ Did he " cause" and " effect " himself \ 
That "every effect must have had a cause" is 
true, but we cannot admit the converse, that 
"every cause must have been an effect," until 
Ingersoll informs us who "caused" and " ef- 
fected" the monad, and what this ' k cause" 
that "caused" the monad was the "effect" 
of, since "every cause must have been an ef- 
fect." 

INGERSOLL. 

Although I know nothing whatever upon the subject, my 
opinion is, that the universe has existed from eternit} r . * * 
— Interviews on Talmage, page 27. 

When a man acknowledges with emphasis 
that he " knows nothing whatever upon the 



FROM THE BIBLE. 71 

subject," is it not time he ceased discussing it 
till he gains at least a little positive informa- 
tion ? 



XIII. 

Chastity. 
iioersoll. 



The beauty of chastity ? The Pentateuch does not teach 
it. — Some Mistakes of Moses, page 262. 

BIBLE. 

Thou shalt not commit adultery. — Exodus xx., 14. 

Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's house, thou shalt 
not covet thy neighbor's wife, nor his maid servant, nor 
his ox, nor his ass, nor anything that is thy neighbor's. — 
Exodus xx., 14. 

The Pentateuch forbade adultery, and the 
Bible as a whole teaches chastity of the purest 
type. Suppose we select one of Ingersoll's 
Lectures, in which the word "chastity" is 
not even mentioned, and exclaim, " The beauty 
of chastity? This lecture does not teach it" 
and conclude that the Lecture is against chas- 
tity ; would he consider this mode of reason- 
ing logical % 



73 INGERSOLL ANSWERED 

XIV. 

D. 

Dakwin. 

ixgersoll. 

This century will be called Darwin's century. He was 
one of the greatest men who ever touched this globe. He 
lias explained more of the phenomena of life than all of 
the religious teachers. Write the name of Charles Darwin 
on the one hand and the name of every theologian who 
ever lived on the other, and from that name has come 
more light to the world than from all of those. His doc- 
trine of evolution, his doctrine of the survival of the fittest, 
his doctrine of the origin of species, has removed in every 
thinking mind the last vestige of orthodox Christianity. 
He has not only stated, but he has demonstrated, that the 
inspired writer new nothing of this world, nothing of the 
origin of man, nothing of geology, nothing of astronomy, 
nothing of nature ; that the Bible is a book written by 
ignorance— at the instigation of fear. — Orthodoxy, page 9. 

If Darwin "has demonstrated" all this, 
it certainly needs "demonstrating" again. 

The main object of the Bible is not to teach 
history or science. It refers to historical facts, 
as it would be impossible to impart a revelation 
without so doing. It claims to be a revelation, 
revealing to man his duty to God, tu himself, 
and to his fellow beings ; but to say that the 
"inspired writers" "knew nothing of the 
world, of the origin of man, of geology, of 
astronomy, of nature," is too sweeping for 
even the wild assertions of an infidel. 



FROM THE BIBLE. 73 

BIBLE. 

Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him (Darwin :) 
and given him a name which is above every name that at 
the name of Jesus every knee should bow. — Phil, ii., 9-10. 

"The inspired writer knew" more about 
the "origin of man," than of apes. 
So God created man (not an ape) in his own image. — Gen. 

i., 27, 

Was it Darwin who exclaimed 

I am fearfully and wonderfully made ?—Psa. cxxxix., 14. 

Could Darwin or Ingersoll give a more beau- 
tiful description of the different parts of the 
human system than is found in the Twelfth 
Chapter of Ecclesiastes \ 

Canst thou bind the sweet influences of Pleiades, or loose 
the bands of Orion? Canst thou bring forth Mazzaroth in 
bis season ? or canst thou guide Arcturus with his sons ? — 
Job. xxxviii.. 31-33. 

Were the names of these heavenly constella- 
tions learned from Darwin ? In the Bible we 
read : 

He (God) made the stars also. — Gen. i., 16. 

Infidel Philosophy contains no such concise 
and sublime account of the origin of the worlds 
that roll in grandeur above us. 

The Psalmist read a deeper and purer phil- 
osophy (in "nature") than Ingersoll ever 
learned from Darwin. 

The heavens declare the glory of God ; and the firma- 
ment showeth his handy work. Day unto day uttereth 
speech, and night unto night showeth knowledge. There 
10 



74 IXGERSOLL ANSWERED 

is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard. 
Their line is gone out through all the earth, and their 
words to the end of the world. In them hath he set a 
tabernacle for the sun, which is as a bridegroom coming out 
of his chamber, and rejoiceth as a strong man to run a 
race. His going forth is from the end of the heaven, and 
his circuit unto the ends of it ; and there is nothing hid 
from the heat thereof. — Psalm xix., 1-6. 

A candid perusal of the Bible must " remove 
from every thinking mind the last vestige of 
doubt in" reference to the falsity of many of 
Ingersoll's statements. 

God did not attempt to reveal all the secrets 
of the natural or scientific world to man nor to 
discover continents, islands, or new worlds for 
him. He placed before him a great universe, 
full of wonder, and gave him a k ' brain" with 
which to search into its secrets. He gave him 
a Bible to guide him in the path to heaven. 

He deemed it more necessary to teach man 
his destiny than his origin. How we came to 
be surrounded by evil is not the most import- 
ant question, but how can we be delivered from 
it is the great problem. If one is burning up 
with a fever, the most vital point is not what 
caused the fever, but can the man be cured \ 
It is vastly more important to direct all men 
to the Great Physician, than to give each one 
an exhaustive treatise on how the angels fell. 
God chose rather to discover to man "The 
Bright and Morning Star," than to unfold to 



FROM THE BIBLE. 75 

him all the secrets of the heavenly bodies ; to 
point man to the Rock of Ages, rather than 
to reveal to him all the hidden things in the 
earth. 

The Bible is not a "book written by ignor- 
ance." 

When we abandon it we turn our backs to 
the Sun, only to wander off into the maze and 
mist of night. 

Until we discover some brighter light than 
infidelity, we shall continue to follow him who 
said : 
I am the Light of the World.— Jesus, John viii., 12. 

INGERSOLL AGAINST HIMSELF. 

No man should quote the words of another in place of an 
argument, unless he is willing to accept all the opinions of 
that man. — IngersolVs Interviews on Talmage, page 17. 

No man should quote a name instead of an argument ; 
no man should bring forward a person instead of a princi- 
ple, unless he is willing to accept all the ideas of that per- 
son. — Ingersoll Catechised, page 6. 

Will Ingersoll then accept all the " ideas" 
of Darwin, whose "name" he lands so highly 
and "brings forward" in place of an "argu- 
ment?" 

Darwin believed in a Creator : 
There is grandeur in this view of life, with its several 
powers, having been originally breathed by the Creator 
into a few forms or into one ; and that, whilst this planet 
has gone cycling on according to the fixed law of gravity, 
from so simple a beginning, endless forms most beautiful 



76 INGERSOLL ANSWERED 

and most wonderful have been and are being evolved. — 
TJie Origin of Species, by Charles Darwin, page 429. 

Will ingersoll "accept" Darwin's "ideas" 
of a Creator \ 

Shakespeare was " the greatest of the human 
race," yet in his will we read : 

First, I commend my soul into the hands of God, my 
Creator ; hoping and assuredly believing, through the only 
merits of Jesus Christ my Savior, to be made partaker of 
life everlasting. — Shakespeare and tlie Bible, page 130. 

In his works we read : 

Those holy fields 
Over whose acres walked those blessed feet 
Which, fout teen hundred years ago, were nailed 
For our advantage on the bitter cross. 

— King Henry IV., 1st Part, Act 1, Scene Y. 

If my suspect be false, forgive me, God ; 
For judgment only doth belong to Thee. 

—King Henry VI. , 2d Part, Act 3, Scene 2. 

Now God be praised, that to believing souls 
Gives light in darkness, comfort in despair. 

— King Henry VI., 2d Part, Act 2, Scene 1. 

Alas, my lord, I cannot fight : for God's sake pity 
My case : The spite of man prevaileth against me. 
O Lord, have mercy upon me ! I shall never 
Be able to fight a blow ; O Lord, my heart ! 

— King Henry VI, 2d Part, Act 1, Scene 3. 

A volume might be filled with quotations 
from Shakespeare proving his belief in God, 
Christ, the Atonement, and still further, show- 
ing his familiarity with the scriptures, that his 
religious principles and sentiments were de- 



FROM THE BIBLE. 77 

rived therefrom, and that much of his poetical 
thought or imagery seems to have been bor- 
rowed more or less directly from the same 
source. 

Ingersoll, to be consistent with himself, 
must, ''accept" the "idea" of a God, an 
inspired Bible, a Christ and an atonement, or 
retract his own words. 

In his book, "The Gods and Other Lec- 
tures," is a Lecture covering nearly forty-four 
pages, eulogizing Thomas Paine. (Pages 121- 
165.) 

Thomas Peine says : 

I believe in one God, and no more. — Age of Reason, 
page 5. 

Again he says : 

It is encumbent on every man who reverences the charac- 
ter of the Creator, and who wishes to lessen the catalogue 
of artificial miseries, and remove the cause that has sown 
persecution thick among mankind, to expel all ideas of re- 
vealed religion as a dangerous heresy, and an impious 
fraud. — Age of Reason, page 146. 

Thomas Paine was a deist. He believed in 
a God, as a Creator, but utterly denied Rev- 
elation. 

Will Ingersoll " accept all the opinions" of 
Paine \ 

Finally, he must "accept" all the "ideas" 
of Jesus" Christ. 

INGERSOLL. 

And now let us see what Matthew says we must do in 
order to be saved. And I take it that, if this is true, Mat- 



78 IXGERSOLL ANSWERED 

thew is as good authority as any minister in the world. * 
* * "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the 
kingdom of heaven." Good ! — What Must We Do to be 
Saved, page 25. 

And lie proceeds to " quote the words" of 
Christ, exclaiming "Good," "That suits me.' 1 
After he has "accepted" all "ideas" of 
Darwin, Shakespeare, Paine and Christ, will 
he please write out his "Authorized" creed? 



XV. 

Death. 

IXGERSOLL AGAINST HIMSELF. 

If he (Christ) was in fact God he knew there was no 
such thing as death. He knew that what we called death 
was but the eternal opening of the golden gates of e\er- 
lasting joy. — What Must We Do to be Saved, page 21. 

Is he a Universalist, and does he believe all 
are to be saved \ 

Upon the man who does right the cross turns to wings 
that will bear him upward forever. — Ibid, page 86. 

No, not a Universalist, as only those who " do 
right" are to be saved, or " borne upward for- 
ever." 

But, then, is it philosophical to say that they who do 
right carry a cross ? — The Ghosts, page 63. 

Yes, according to Ingersoll, as "upon the 
man who does right, the cross turns to wings 
that will bear him upward forever." 



FROM THE BIBLE. 79 

While yet in love with life and raptured with the world, 
he passed to silence and pathetic dust. — A Tribute to Ebon 
C.~ Ingersoll, in The Ghosts and Other Lectures. 

I will leave my dead where nature leaves them. — Ibid, 
page 88. 

Now he is a Universalist. He does not be- 
lieve all are to be saved, or "borne upward 
forever," not even those wlio "do right," as 
the race are to "pass to silence and pathetic 
dnst" and be left "where nature leaves them " 
— in the grave. 

For whether in mid sea or 'mong the breakers of the 
farther shore, a wreck at last must mark the end of each 
and all. And every Lfe, no matter if its every hour is rich 
with love and every moment jeweled with a joy, will, at 
its close, become a tragedy as sad and deep and dark as can 
be woven of the warp and woof of mystery and death.— 
A Tribute to E. C. Ingersoll, in The Ghosts. 

Did the same man write this who said that 
death " was but the eternal opening of the 
golden gates of everlasting joy f " Yes, the 
same man who now paints the above dismal 
picture of death. 

He climbed the heights, and left all superstitions far be- 
low, while on his forehead fell the golden dawning of the 
grander day. — Ibid. 

If "life * * at its close becomes a trag- 
edy as sad and deep and dark as can be woven 
of the warp and woof of mystery and death," 
then whence the "golden dawning of the 
grander day ?" 

In the night of death hope sees a star and listening love 
can hear the rustle of a wing. 



80 INGERSOLL ANSWERED 

He who sleeps here, when dying, mistaking the approach 
of death for the return of health, whispered with his latest 
breath. ''I am better now." Let us believe, in spite of 
doubts and dogmas, of fears and tears, that these dear 
words are true of all the countless dead. — Ibid. 

And if we did believe it, we should be Uni- 
versalists. But "why" does he exhort the 
mourners to believe any thing since he says : 

The doctrine that future happiness depends upon belief 
is monstrous. — The Gods, page 15. 

Then of course it is "monstrous" to "be- 
lieve in spite of doubts and dogmas" that 
"all the countless dead" are "better" off 
after death. 

For my part I cannot admit tint belief is a voluntary 
thing. — Some Mistakes of Moses, page 42. 

You cannot believe as you wish, you must believe as you 
must. — What Must We Do to be Saved, page 41. 

No man can control his belief. — Orthodoxy, page 36. 

Then "why" does he say to the mourners, 
" Let us believe" etc., urging them to do some- 
thing which he affirms " no man can" do. 

There can be only one true account of anything. — TJie 
Christian Religion, page 71. 

Then which of the foregoing "philosophi- 
cal" "accounts" of "death" is "true?" 

The New Testament is filled with contradictions. The 
gospels do not even agree as to the terms of salvation. — 
Interviews on Talmage, page 253. 

I admit that I have said that the Bible is contradictory. — 
Ibid, page 212. 

We need not wonder so much at slight vari- 
ations in the testimony of the different evan- 



FROM THE BIBLE. 81 

gelists, which, as they do not contradict them- 
selves or each other, only strengthen their 
evidence. But when a man squarely and persist- 
ently "contradicts" his own statements, has 
a fist fight with his own words, what shall the 
court do % Would such a witness's testimony 
be received by any jury % All the seeming con- 
tradictions of the many different writers of the 
Bible cannot match the positive "contradic- 
tions" of R. G. Inffersoll. 



XVI. 

Death of Art. 

ingersoul. 

In passing it may be well enough to say that the command- 
ment," Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image or 
any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is 
on the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the 
earth," was the absolute death of Art, and that not until 
the destruction of Jerusalem was there a Hebrew painter 
or sculptor. — The Christian Religion, page 51. 

I have said that the commandment was the death of art, 
and I say so still. I insist that by reason of that command- 
ment, Palestine produced no painter or no sculptor until 
after the destruction of Jerusalem. * * * The assassina- 
tion of art was complete. — Interviews on Talmage, page 109. 

In the first of the above quotations " why " 
does Ingersoll omit the next sentence of the 
u commandment," " Thou shalt not bow down 
ll 



$2 INGERSOLL ANSWERED 

thyself to them nor serve them." (Exodus 
xx., 5.) 

Because this contained the key to the whole 
matter. They were not allowed to make 
images for the purpose of worshipping them. 

BIBLE. 

Ye shall not make with me gods of silver neither shalt 
ye make unto you gods of gold. — Ex. xx., 23. 

The Sinaitic code did not forbid art, and the 
"commandment" against idolatry was not the 
" Absolute death of art in Palestine." Who 
gave orders for making the Tabernacle, with its 
art, overlaid with pure gold, the two cherubims 
of gold, etc. Read the twenty-fifth and sixth 
chapters of Exodus. 

By whose command was Solomon's temple 
erected, and filled with works of " art ?" For 
a description oi its ornaments and carvings 
read the sixth chapter of First Kings. This 
temple, with all its ornamentation and beauti- 
ful works of "art," was built by the command 
of the same God who previously gave the com- 
mand against idolatry, which Ingersoll declares 
" was the absolute death of art, and not until 
the destruction of Jerusalem was there a He- 
brew painter or sculptor." Strange that in a 
land where " art was absolutely dead and the 
assassination of art was complete," ' there 
should be erected a temple surpassing in glory 
all previous works of "art." 



FROM THE BIBLE. 83 

In passing it may be well enough to say no 
more such "art"-ful things as the above. 



XVII. 
Declaration of Independence. 
It is not surprising that one who misrepre- 
sents the Bible should fail inveracity concern- 
ing other writings. We digress a moment 
from our regular course to give the reader a 
specimen : 

INGERSOLX. 

The Declaration of Independence announces the sublime 
truth that all power comes from the people. This was a 
denial, and the first denial of a nation, of the infamous 
dognia, that God confers the right upon one man to govern 
others. It was the first grand assertion of the dignity of 
the human race. It declared the governed to be the source 
of power, and in fact denies the authority of any and all 
gods. Through the ages of slavery, through the weary 
centuries of the lash and chain, God was the acknowledged 
ruler of the world. To enthrone man, was to dethrone 
Him. — The Gods, (Individuality,) page 200. 

To Paine, Jefferson and Franklin are we indebted more 
than to all others for a human government and for a Con- 
stitution in which no God is recognized superior to the 
legally expressed will of the people. They knew that to 
put God in the Constitution was to put man out. They 
knew that the recognition of a Deity would be seized upon 
by fanatics and zealots as a pretext for destroying the lib- 
erty of thought. They knew the terrible history of the 
Church too well to place in her keeping, or in the keeping 
of her God, the sacred rights of man. — The Gods, page 201. 



84 INGERSOLL ANSWERED 

One hundred years ago our fathers retired the gods 
from politics. — Tlie Ghosts, (Declaration of Independence ,) 
page 145. 

In the Declaration are the following phrases : 

When in the course of human events it becomes neces- 
sary for one people to dissolve the political bands which 
have connected them with another, and to assume among 
the powers of the earth the separate and equal station to 
which the la vs of nature and nature's God entitle them, a 
decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that 
they should declare the causes which impel them to the 
separation. We hold * * * that ail men are created 
equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with cer- 
tain inalienable rights. * * * We, therefore, the Repre- 
sentatives of the United States in General Congress assem- 
bled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world * * * 
with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Provi- 
dence, etc. * * * 

" Our fathers " did not "retire" "Nature's 
God," the "Creator," the "Supreme Judge of 
the World," and "Divine Providence" from 
"politics." 

A "decent respect" for '/the first grand 
assertion of the dignity of the human race" 
ought to prevent even an infidel from mis- 
representing it. 



FROM THE BIBLE. 85 

XVIII. 

Depraved People. 
isger§oll. 

Ought a God take any credit to himself for making de- 
praved people? A God that cannot make a soul that is 
not totally depraved, I respectfully suggest, should retire 
from the business.— Or thodoxy, page 17. 

Ought the Monad to take "any credit to 
himself for making depraved people % " 

BIBLE. 

So God created man in his own image, in the image of 
God created he him. — Gen. i., 27. 

God made "people" pure and clean, and 
"people" "depraved" themselves by their 
transgressions. 

INGERSOLi. 

It is not easy to account for an infinite God making peo- 
ple so low in the scale of intellect as to require a relevation. 
— Some Mistakes of Moses, page 44. 

Is it not as "easy" as to account for man's 
origin from a being " so low in the scale" of 
being as the monad, who must pass through 
ages of development before " depraved " man is 
evolved? 

BIBLE. 

God hath made man upright, but they have sought out 
many inventions. — Eccl. vii., 29. 

The Bible nowhere teaches that " G-od made 
people so low in the scale of intellect, as to re- 
quire a revelation." Man "requires" a reve- 



86 INGERSOLL ANSWERED 

]ation because he "low"-ered himself by his 
sin. God furnished man with a light to guide 
him through this world. Because he blew it 
out does not prove that God set him down in a 
wilderness, surrounded by darkness. God 
created man and placed him on the high and 
solid rock of moral purity. Because man 
leaped from this elevation into the "horrible 
pit of sin " does not prove that God placed him 
there. God is not responsible for the extin- 
guishing of the light nor for man's wallowing 
in the rain of sin. It is a merciful provision 
that the Almighty sends man another light, to 
guide him out of the wilderness, or reaches 
down his omnipotent hand to lift him out of 
the pit- 
Look unto me and be ye saved all the ends of the earth 
for lam God and there is none else. — Isa. xlv., 22. 

He sent from above, he took me, he drew me out of many- 
waters. — Isa xvlii.. 16. 



XIX. 

Diseases. 

INGERSOLL. 

We are told by the Bible and by the churches that 
through this fall of man 

'• Sin and death entered the world." 

According to this, just as soon as Adam and Eve had 
partaken of the forbidden fruit, God began to contrive 
ways by which he could destroy the lives of his children. 



FROM THE BIBLE. 87 

He invented all the diseases — all the fevers and coughs 
and colds— all the pains and plagues and pestilences — all 
the aches and agonies, the malaria and spores ; so that 
when we take a breath of air we admit into our lungs un- 
seen assassins ; and, fearing that some might live too long, 
even under such circumstances, God invented the earth- 
quake and volcano, the cyclone and lightning, animalcules 
to infest the heart and brain, so small that no eye can de- 
tect — no instrument reach. This was all owing to the dis- 
obedience of Adam and Eve ! — Orthodoxy, page 15. 

And according to Evolution " This was all 
owing to" some freak of the Monad ! 

BIBLE. 

Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, 
and death by sin ; and so death passed upon all men, for 
that aU have sinned. — Rom. v., 12. 

For as by one man's disobedience many were made sin- 
ners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made right- 
eous. — Rom. v., 19. 

Ingersoll knows that these diseases exist ; he 
does not and cannot tell us "why" they ex- 
ist or whence they came. The Bible and not 
Infidelity reveals to us their origin, which is 
sin. 



XX. 

Faith. 

ING£R§OLL. 



If what is known as the Christian Religion is true, nothing 
can be more wonderful than the fact that Matthew, Mark 
and Luke say nothing about " salvation by faith ;" that 
they do not even hint at the doctrine of the atonement, and 



88 INGERSOLL ANSWERED 

are as silent as empty tombs as to the necessity of believ- 
ing anything to secure happiness in this world or another. 
— What Must We Do to be Saved, {Preface,) page 3. 

If a certain belief is necessary to insure the salvation of 
the soul, the church ought to explain, and without any 
unnecessary delay, why such an infinitely important fact 
was utterly ignored by Matthew, Mark and Luke. There 
are only two explanations possible. Either belief is un- 
necessary, or the writers of these three gosoels did not 
understand the Christian system. — Ibid., page 5. 

Now I have read you substantially everything in Mat- 
thew on the subject of Salvation. That is all there is. Not 
one word about believing anything. * * * Not one 
word about believing in any miracle. * * * And yet 
Matthew never got the impression that it was necssary to 
believe something in order to get to heaven. — What Must 
We Do to be Saved, images 34-36. 

BIBLE. 

And Jesus said unto the centurion, go thy way ; and as 
thou hast believed, so be it done unto thee. And his ser- 
vant was healed in the self-same hour. — Matthew viii., 13. 

A "miracle," wrought by "faith." 

Daughter, be of good comfort ; thy faith hath made thee 
whole.— Matthew ix., 22. 

And when he was come into the house, the blind men 
came to him : and Jesus saith unto them, believe }^e that 
I am able to do this? They said unto him, yea, Lord. 
Then touched he their eyes, saving, according to your faith 
be it unto you. And their eyes were opened.— Matthew 
ix., 28. 

Two more "miracles" wrought by "faith." 

And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer believ- 
ing, ye shall receive. — Matthew xxi., 22. 

The "whatsoever" includes "salvation" as 
well as other blessings. 



FROM THE BIBLE. ©9 

Verily I say unto you that the publicans and the harlots 
go into the kingdom of God before you. For John came 
unto you in the way of righteousness, and ye believed him 
not ; but the publicans and the harlots believed him : and 
ye, when ye had seen it, repented not afterward, that ye 
might believe him. — Matthew xxi., 31-32. 

Here " belief " is made a condition of going 
into the kingdom of God. 

INOERSOl.L. 

Mark upholds the religion of Matthew until we come to 
the fifteenth and sixteenth verses of the sixteenth chapter, 
and then I strike an interpolation put in by hypocrisy, put 
in by priests who longed to grasp with bloody hands the 
sceptre of universal power. Let me read it to you. It is 
the most infamous passage in the bible. Christ never said 
it. No sensible man ever said it. 

"And He said unto them" (that is, unto his disciples), 
' ' go ye into all the world and preach the Gospel to every 
creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved ; 
but he that believeth not shall be damned." 

That passage was written so that fear would give alms to 
hypocrisy. Now, I propose to prove to you that this is an 
interpolation. How will I do it ? In the first place, not 
one word is said about belief, in Matthew. In the next 
place, not one word about belief, in Mark, until I come to 
that verse, and. where is that said to have been spoken ? 
According to Mark, it is a part of the last conversation of 
Jesus Christ — just before, according to the account, he 
ascended bodily before their eyes. — What Must We Do to 
be Saved, pages 39-40. 

BIBLE. 

Repent ye and believe the Gospel. — Mark i., 15. 

How is it that ye have no faith? — Mark iv., 40. 

Be not afraid, only believe. — Mark v., 36. 

Jesus said unto him, if thou canst believe, all things are 
possible to him that believeth. — Mark ix., 23. 
12 



90 INGERSOLL ANSWERED 

And whosoever shall offend one of these little ones that 
believe in me, &c. — Mark ix., 42. 

Have faith in God. — Mark xi., 22. 

What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that 
ye receive them, and ye shall have them. — Mark xi., 24. 

These passages showing the necessity of 
faith in Christ, occur in Mark before we reach 
the sixteenth chapter. 

Has Ingersoll proved what he impudently 
calls "the most infamous passage in the 
Bible" to be an "interpolation?" He 
proves (?) it first, because "not one word is 
said about belief in Matthew." This is abso- 
lutely false. He proves (?) it next by saying, 
u Not one word is said about belief in Mark, 
until I come to that verse" — "He that be- 
lievth," etc. ? This statement is also untrue. 
It would seem that "no sensible man ever, 
said it." 

If you wish to be safe, be honest. — Tlie Christian Relig- 
ion, page 16. 

We say, Amen. The reader of Ingersollism 
will notice that he never assails a text as an 
"interpolation" unless it stands in the way of 
his own jjet theories ; and next, he never gives 
any higher authority to prove these texts to 
be interpolations than his own words. 

Again, as Matthew is the only Evangelist 
who gives us an extensive report of the ser- 
mon on the Mount, there is far greater reason 
for opening Ingersollian fire upon it than 



FROM THE BIBLE. 91 

against Mark xvi., 16. This sermon, which, 
by his own logic, must be an "interpolation," 
he quotes from, and warmly commends these 
quotations in " What Must We Do to be 
saved," pages 25-27. Which requires the 
greater faith, to believe Ingersollism, or to be- 
lieve the Grospel of Christ % 

IKGERSOLL. 

It is sufficient to say that Luke agrees substantially with 
Matthew and Mark.— Wliat Must We Do to be Saved, 
page 45. 

That is, agrees with them in saying nothing 
about believing. 

BIBLE. 

When He saw their faith, he said unto him, Man, thy 
sins are forgiven thee. — Luke v., 20. 

Here is the forgiveness of sins by faith. 

Those by the way-side are they that hear ; then cometh 
the devil, and taketh away the word out of their hearts, 
lest they should believe and be saved. — Luke viii., 12. 

A clear reference to the "necessity of believ- 
ing" something. 

And the apostles said unto the Lord, Increase our faith. 
— Luke xvii., 5. 

MattJiew, Mark and Luke are not "as silent 
as empty tombs" as to the necessity of believ- 
ing anything. 

INGERSOLL,. 

Iu the book of John all these doctrines of regeneration — 
that it is necessary to beiieve in the Lord Jesus Christ ; 
that salvation depends upon belief, in this book of John 



92 INGERSOLL ANSWERED 

all these doctrines find their warrant ; nowhere else. — 
What Must We Do to be Saved, page 53. 

See Matthew, Mark and Luke as quoted pre- 
viously, and also the following from the 

BIBLE. 

Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved. 
— Acts xvii.. 31. 

St. Luke wrote the book of Acts. 

Purifying their hearts by faith — Acts xv , 9. 

Read the eleventh chapter of Hebrews, which 
is almost entirely on Faith. 
By grace are ye saved through faith. — Eph. ii., 8, 
The just shall live by faith.— Rom. i., 17. 
Fight the good fight of faith.— 1 Tim. vi., 12. 

And the prayer of faith shall save the sick. 
— (James v., 15.) 

And many more passages which might be 
cited. ]S"ow revert to IngersolFs statement 
that the "doctrine" that "salvation depends 
upon belief" can be found "nowhere else" 
but in the "book of John!" He "ought to 
explain, and without any unnecessary delay, 
why such" misrepresentations are made by 
him. 

A man who cannot make more correct state- 
ments we "would respectfully suggest should 
retire from the business. " 

INGERSOLL. 

I never will ask any God to treat uie better than I treat 
my fellow men. — What Must We Do to be Saved, page 26. 



FROM THE BIBLE. 93 

Will he ask God to treat him better than he 
treats God's Bible ? 

INGERSOLL. 

I do not pretend to tell what all the truth is. I do not 
pretend to have fathomed the abyss — nor to have floated 
on outstretched win gs level with the dim heights of thought. 
I simply plead for freedom. — Some Mistakes of Moses, page 
67. 

" Why" did he not say, "I do not pretend 
to tell the truth at all." One would think he 
must either have been in some "abyss" or 
" floating " somewhere when he wrote the fore- 
going misrepresentations. Is it any wonder he 
" simply pleads for freedom V 

IKGERSOLL. 

When a man loses confidence in Moses, must the people 
lose confidence in him? — The Ghosts, page 63. 

No, provided he tells the truth. 

"I do not pretend to tell what all the truth 
is" about Ingersollism, but "simply plead" 
for candid statements. In writing this volume 
we have passed through a lazaretto of blasphe- 
mous literature. If near the surface of the 
"abyss," the atmosphere is so foul, what 
would be revealed by "fathoming" it ? 

IXGERSOLL.. 

God rewards only for believing something that is unreason- 
able. If you believe something that is improbable and un- 
reasonable, you are a Christian, but if 3 ou believe something 
you know is not so, then you are a saint. — What Mast We Do 
to be Saved, page 79. 



94 INGERSOLL ANSWERED 

And if you believe IngersoLTs " unreasona- 
ble " and "contradictory" theories, what are 
you? A "christian, 1 ' a "saint," an "an- 
gel," or a " devil V 

Notwithstanding IngersolFs denunciation of 
"beliefs," he has one of his own. Where did 
he get itj 

INGERSOLL. 

I believe in the gospel of cheerfulness, the gospel of good 
nature, the gospel of good health. * * Take care of our 
bodies and our souls will take care of themselves. * * * 
I believe in the gospel of good living. * * I believe in 
the gospel of good clothes, I believe in the gospel of good 
houses, in the gospel of water and soap, I believe in the gos- 
pel of intelligence, in the gospel of education. * * I be- 
lieve in the gospel of justice that we must reap what we sow, 
* * and I believe too, in the gospel of liberty. * * * I 
believe in this great gospel of humanity. — What Must We 
Do to be Saved, pages 83-86. 

O Ingersoll ! great is thy faith. 

Again : 

A believer is a bird in a cage, a free-thinker is an eagle 
parting the clouds with tireless wing. — The Gods and Other 
Lectures, page 190. 

But Mr. Ingersoll, according to his own con- 
fession of Faith, is a "believer." As he has 
" caged " himself, we hereby open the door and 
invite him to come out. 

Did Mr. Ingersoll originate his "belief?" 
No. All that there is good in it he borrowed 
from the Bible he so insanely assails, and the 
bad against which he wars is not found in the 
word of the Lord. 



FROM THE BIBLE. 95 

Ingersoll : Gospel of Cheerfulness. 

Bible : Eejoice evermore. — 1 Thess. v., 16. 

Rejoice and be exceeding glad. — Matt, v., 12. 

Ingersoll : Gospel of Good Health. 

Bible : Beloved, I wish above all things that thou 
may est prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prosper- 
eth. — John in., 2. 

If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God de- 
stroy.— 1 Cor., in., 17. 

Ingersoll: Gospel of Good Living. 

Bible : But if any provide not for his own, and espe- 
cially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, 
and is worse than (Ingersoll) an infidel. — 1st Tim. v., 8. 

Ixgersoll : Gospel of Water and Soap. 

Bible : Let us draw near with a true heart, in full assur- 
ance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil con- 
science, and our bodies washed with pure water. — Heb., 
x., 22. 

For he is like a refiner's fire, and like fuller's soap. — Mai- 
achi Hi., 2. 

Ingersoll : Gospel of Justice. 

Bible : Render therefore unto Caesar the things which 
be Caesar's, and unto God the things which be God s. — 
Luke xx. , 25. 

Ingersoll: We must reap what we sow. 

Bible : Be not deceived ; God is not mocked : for what- 
soever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. 

For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap cor- 
ruption ; but he that soweth to the spirit shall of the spirit 
reap life everlasting. — Gal. vi., 7. 

Ingersoll : And if you have ever clothed another with 
woe, as a garment of pain, you will never be quite as happy 
as though you had not done that thing. No forgiveness by 
the Gods. Eternal, inexorable, everlasting justice, so far 
as nature is concerned. You must reap the results of your 
acts, even when forgiven by the one you have injured. It is 
not as though the injury had not been done. That is what 
I believe in, and if it goes hard with me I will stand it. and 



9b INGERSOLL ANSWERED 

I will cling to my logic and I will bear it like a man. — What 
Must We Do to be Saved, page 85. 

Christians believe in "eternal, inexorable, 
everlasting justice," but they cannot see how 
such "justice" can exist without a God as a 
Judge and a future life in which to be judged 
Does Ingersoll's God — Nature — mete out jus- 
tice to all the wicked in this world \ Here is a 
man who secretly commits murder, he does not 
confess his crime and no one knows who did it. 
The murderer dies too soon to receive " justice" 
in this life and there being no hereafter, and no 
God but "Nature," where does "Nature" 
mete out "eternal * * justice" to this mur- 
derer % Many die while commit ting crimes and 
never receive "justice" in this world. When 
and where will they receive it \ Is not Inger- 
solTs " Nature" God very unjust and cruel to 
allow such crimes to pass unpunished \ Will 
; 'Nature" ever correct the wrongs of which In- 
gersoll complains? If death "ends all," then 
his God of Materialism is the most cruel and 
inexorable of all beings. Referring to the God 
of the Jews, Ingersoll says : 

Can you believe that such directions were given by any 
being except an infinite fiend ? — The Gods, page 13. 

Again : 

It is impossible to conceive of a more thoroughly despic- 
able, hateful, and arrogant being, than the Jewish god. 
He is without a redeeming feature. In the mythology of 
the world he has no parallel. He, only, is never touched 



FROM THE BIBLE. 97 

by agony and tears. He delights only in blood and pain. 
Human affections are naught to him. He cares neither for 
love nor music, beauty nor joy. A false friend, an unjust 
judge, a braggart, hypocrite, and tyrant, sincere in hatred, 
jealous, vain, and revengeful, false in promise, honest in 
curse, suspicious, ignorant, and changeable, infamous and 
hideous :— sush is the God of the Pentateuch. — Some Mis- 
takes of Moses, pages 239, 240. 

Were the above blasphemous utterances 
true, his Materialistic God is no better. Is his 
God ever " touched by agony and tears,' 1 and 
has he not "delighted in blood and pain ?" 

Think of the Neros, Oaligulas, and Napo- 
leons of earth, to whom "Nature" has never 
meted "eternal justice." 

If there is no God but "Nature," not only 
will the unpunished crimes of earth never re- 
ceive their dues, but this Materialistic God is 
responsible for all the sin, misery, crime and 
wretchedness of earth, and "Nature" becomes 
the most incorrigible of all "infinite fiends," 
the most "infamous and hideous" of all be- 
ings in the universe. 

The Bible, and that only, speaks of a God 
who will give "'everlasting justice" to all his 
creatures, who will "reward every man accord- 
ing to his works." (Matt, xvi., 27.) 

There is a higher Court than "Nature." 

BIBLE. 

And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on 
it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away : 
and there was found no place for them. And I saw the 
13 



y» INGERSOLL ANSWERED 

dead, small and great, stand before God ; and the books 
were opened : and another book was opened, which is the 
book of life; and the dead were judged out of those things 
which were written in the books, according to their works. 
—Rev. xx., 11, 12. 

For we must all appear before the judgment seat of 
Christ. — II Cor., v., 10. 

Ingersoll : Gospel of Liberty. 

Bible : Proclaim liberty throughout all the land, unto 
all the inhabitants thereof. — Lev. xxv.. 10. 

And I wiil walk at iberty. — Psa. xix., 45. 

Proclaim liberty to the captives. — Isa. Ixi., 1. 

The glorious liberty of the children of God. — Rom. 
viii., 21. 

Etc., etc. 

Ingersoll's Gospel of Mercy : "I have made up my 
mind that, if there is a God, he will be merciful to the mer- 
ciful. Upon that rock I stand. — What Must We Do to be 
Saved, page 89. 

Bible : Blessed are the merciful, for they shaU obtain 
mercy. — Jesus, Matthew v., 7. 

Ingersoll's Gospel of Equal Rights : This is my doc- 
trine — Give every other human being every right you claim 
for yourself. — The Ghosts and Other Lectures, page 91. 

"My doctrine ! I" Jesus preached it ages 
before Ingersoll was born. 

Bible : Whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, 
do ye even so to them. — Matthew vii., 12. 

Ingersoll's Gospel of Forgiveness : I do not believe 
in forgiveness as it is preached by the church. We do not 
need the forgiveness of God but of each 'other and of our- 
selves. If I rob Mr. Smith, and God forgives me, how does 
that help Smith ? — What Must We Do to be Saved, page 84. 

Bible : And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our 
debtors. — Matthew vi., 12. 

Therefore, if thou bring thy gift to the altar and there 



FROM THE BIBLE. 99 

rememberest that thy brother hath aught against thee ; 
leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; 
first be reconciled to thy brother and then come and offer 
thy gift.— Matthew v., 23, 24. 

"If I rob Mr. Smith/' the crime is two-fold. 
I sin against God, breaking his law, "Thou 
shalt not steal," and I wrong Mr. Smith. God 
will not forgive me unless I confess my sin 
both to him and to Mr. Smith, and restore to 
the latter that which is stolen. Even under 
the old dispensation, stealing was expensive 
work. 

If a man shall steal an ox, or a sheep, and kill it, or sell 
it, he shall restore five oxen for an ox, and four sheep for a 
sheep. — Exodus xxii., 1. 

It is Christianity and not Atheism that leads 
men to confess and ask forgiveness and restore 
stolen goods. Men are not led to make resti- 
tution by attending Free Thinkers 1 conven- 
tions ; but following in the wake of thorough 
Christian revivals, such instances often occur. 
Infidelity is an opiate to stupefy the conscience, 
while Revealed Religion is the trumpet to 
arouse it to action. 

Bat where did Mr. Ingersoll get his "gos- 
pel,' 1 and how are we to accept it without "be- 
lieving?" 

We challenge any assailant of the Bible to 
name a moral excellence acknowledged to be 
such that is not in the list of Biblical 
virtues. All there is that is sublime or 



100 INGERSOLL ANSWERED 

beautiful in sentiment in the writings of the in- 
fidel world, is borrowed directly or indirectly 
from Revelation, and is but the distant echo of 
Sinai's thunder or of the rending rocks of Cal- 
vary. 

Do we find in Ingersollism a satisfactory an- 
swer to the question, " What Must I do to be 
Saved?" Are we ready to trust ourselves in 
such a life boat to cross the swellings of Jor- 
dan ? No, we may travel through all the mys- 
teries of natural religion, go and stand upon 
the ocean shore and listen to the music of the 
waves, circumnavigate the globe, ascend into 
the starry heavens and listen to the harmony of 
the spheres, search all the pages of Infidel phil- 
osophy, and we find no complete and satisfac- 
tory answer to the question till we come to Re- 
vealed Religion, and this answers it most sweet- 

iy: 

Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt 
be saved.— Acts xvi., 31. 



XXI. 

F. 

Firmament. 

INGERSOLL. 

We are next informed by Moses that God said: "Let 
there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it 
divide the waters from the waters." * * * The truth is 



FROM THE BIBLE. 101 

Moses regarded the firmament as a solid affair. It was 
where God lived and where water was kept. It was for this 
reason they used to pray for rain ; they supposed some an- 
gel could with a lever raise a gate and let out the quantity 
of moisture desired. * * * Nothing is clearer than that 
Moses regarded the firmament as a vast material division 
that separated the waters of the world and upon whose 
floor God lived surrounded by his sons. In no other way 
could he account for rain * * He did not know that the sun 
wooed with amorous kisses the waves of the sea, and that 
they clad in glorified mist rising to meet their lover were 
by disappointment changed to tears and fell as rain. — Some 
Mistakes of Moses, page 64. 

Boo Hoo ! ! " Nothing is clearer than that 
Moses did not regard the firmament as a vast 
material division," etc. 

Our translators, by following the firmamentum of the 
vulgate, which is a translation of the stereoma of the sep- 
tuMgint have deprived this passage of all sense and mean- 
ing. The Hebrew word rakia from raka, to spread out as 
the curtain of a tent or pavilion — simply signifies an ex- 
panse or space. — Clark's Commentary. 

Ingersoll has mistaken the mistake of the 
translators for a "Mistake of Moses." 

INGERSOLL.. 

God did not even keep his own sons at home, but allowed 

them to leave their abode in the firmament and make love 

to the daughters of men. — Some Mistakes of Moses, page 

139. 

BIBLE. 

The sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were 
fair and they took them wives of all which they chose. — 
Gen., vi., 2. 

There is not a word in the Bible in reference 



102 INGERSOLL ANSWERED 

to the " Sons of God leaving their abode in the 
firmament." 



XXII. 

Flood. 

ingersoll. 

Why did he (God) not have his flood first, and drown the 
devil, before he made a man and woman ? — Ortliodoxy, page 
15 

We cannot tell, perhaps it was : 

(1.) For the same reason he lets the devil's 
children live so long who are so much like the 
evil one. 

(2.) Because some Infidel might have com- 
plained of the cruelty of God in killing the 
devil. 

(3.) Because he did not wish either to soil 
his hands or spoil the rain water. 

(4.) Because if the devil had been drowned 
there would have been no iniidels. 

(5.) Because there would have been no op- 
position and "opposition is the life of busi- 
ness." 

(6.) Because God did not desire to orphan 
so many children at once. 

(7.) Because Ingersoll could not then liave 
lectured, abusing the Almighty at so much per 
capita. Had the devil been drowned the world 



FROM THE BIBLE. 103 

would have been christianized, and no one 
would have attended infidel lectures. 

Answer a fool according to his folly, lest he be wise in 
his own conceit. — Proverbs xxvi., 5. 

IXGERSOLL. 

In the Bible there are two accounts. In one account, 
Noah was to take two of all beasts, birds and creeping things 
into the ark, while in the other, he was commanded to 
take of clean beasts, and all birds by sevens of each kind. 
— Some Mistakes of Moses, page 166. 

BIBLE. 

And of every living thing of all flesh, two of every sort 
shalt thou bring into the ark, to keep them alive with thee : 
they shall be male and female. 

Of fowls after their kind; and of cattle after their kind, 
of every creeping thing of the earth after his kind ; two of 
every sort shall come unto thee to keep them alive. — Gene- 
sis vi., 19-20. 

Of every clean beast shalt thou take to thee by sevens, 
the male and his female : and of beasts that are not clean 
by two, th^ male and his female. 

Of fowls also of the air by sevens, the male and the fe- 
male ; to keep seed alive upon the face of all the earth. — 
Genesis vii., 2-3. 

" Noah was to take " one pair (two) of every 
"unclean" animal, and "seven" pair (seven 
twos) of every "clean" beast, so there is no con- 
tradiction here. "Seven", pair of each kind 
could enter by "twos" as well as one pair. 
With seven pair of the clean beasts he would 
have some for food and sacrifice, {see Gen. viii., 
20) and still preserve one or more pair of every 
clean beast. 



104 IXGERSOLL ANSWERED 

i\(;i:nsoLL. 

In his gratitude Noah built an altar and took of every 
clean beast and of every clean fowl, and offered burnt 
offerings. And the Lord smelled a sweet savor 
and said in his heart that he would not any more curse 
the ground for man's sake. For saying this in his heart the 
Lord gives as a reason, not that man is, or will be good, but 
because ' the imagination of man'.- heart is evil from his 
youth." God destroyed man because " the wickedness of 
man was great in the e_irf.h, and because every imagination 
of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And 
he promised for the same reason not to destroy him again. 
Will some gentleman skilled in theology give us an explan- 
ation ?. — Some Mistakes of Moses, page 162. 

No " gentleman skilled in theology" is need- 
ed to give an explanation, as the Bible explains 
itself when quoted and translated properly. 

BIBLE. 

And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in 
the earth and that every imagination of the thoughts of 
his heart was only evil continually. — Gen. vi , 5. 

In IngersolFs quotation of the above, the 
words "and because" are "interpolated." 

And the Lord smelled a sweet savour ; and the Lord said 
in his heart, I will not again curse the ground any more 
for mans sake ; for the imagination of man's heart is evil 
from his youth. — Gen. viii., 21. 

God does not assign the "same reason" for 
not destroying man that he did for his destruc- 
tion. The Hebrew word"for" — "ki" — should 
be rendered "although." I will not again 
cnrse the ground * * * although the im- 
agination," etc. Ingersoll might have learned 
this from most any reference Bible. 



PROM THE BIBLE. 105 

XX1IL 
Forgiveness. 
ingersoll. 

They say that God says to me, " Forgive your enemies," 
I say, "Ido; 1 ' but he says, "I will damn mine."' God 
should be consistent. If he wants me to forgive my ene- 
mies he should forgive his. I am asked to forgive enemies 
who can hurt me. God is only a^ked to forgive enemies 
who cannot hurt him. He certainly ought to be as gener- 
ous as he asks us to be. And I want no God to forgive me 
unless I am willing to forgive others, and unless I do for- 
give others. — Orthodoxy, page 37. 

God is ''consistent." He forgives "his 
enemies ' ' when they ask it sincerely, with an 
intention to reform, which is all God requires 
of us. 

BIBLE. 

Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous 
man his thoughts : and let him return unto the Lord, and 
he will have mercy upon him ; and to our God, for he will 
abundantly pardon. — Isa. lv., 7. 

For thou, Lord, art good, and ready to forgive ; and 
plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon thee. — 
Psa. Ixxxvi., 5. 

Jesus taught that God will not "forgive me 
unless I am willing to forgive others." 

And forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors. — 
Matt, w., 12. 

He prayed for his enemies. 

Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do. 
— xxiii., 34. 

"God says I will damn mine" Where 

14 



106 INGERSOLL ANSWERED 

does God say this? "God is love" and de- 
sires the salvation of all ; but He will not de- 
stroy our prerogative of choice. Man is not a 
"machine" — under the control of the Al- 
mighty as a locomotive is under the manage- 
ment of the engineer. God places before us 
life and death, and by every consideration 
urges us to choose life. He will not coerce us 
into his service. He w T arns us of danger ; but 
permits us to choose for ourselves. See yon 
bridge. The timbers have become rotten the 
masonry is giving away, it is nearly ready to 
fall. It has been pronounced unsafe by the 
proper authorities. A notice is placed at both 
ends of the bridge in large letters, 
"Condemned." 

Travelers are warned not to cross. But here 
comes a reckless man with a fine horse and 
carriage. He sees the warning and reads it. 
Friends expostulate with him, but all in vain. 
On he goes, and breaks through and is drowned. 
Who is to blame ? The sign ? No. The civil 
authorities? No. They met the requirements 
of the law and posted the notices. Who is 
responsible \ His friends who entreated him 
to stop \ No. Who is to blame I The care- 
less driver. He destroyed himself by discard- 
ing all the signals of danger. 

Here is the bridge of sinful pleasure under 
which flows the stream of Eternal Death. 



FROM THE BIBLE. 107 

How the stream originated, whether in Eden 
or somewhere else, is not the most vital ques- 
tion , but can we avoid it, is of paramount im- 
portance. The Divine Government has placed 
a sign upon the bridge written in characters so 
plain as not to be misunderstood : 

"The Wages of Sin is Death." 

An Open Bible, The Holy Spirit, praying 
men and women, warn the sinner to keep off. 
Bat if, after all the warnings, he drives on say- 
ing : 

Notwithstanding the advice of the clergy, Ih ive concluded 
to pursue my own course, to tell my honest thoughts and to 
have my freedom in this world, whatever my fate may be in 
the next. — Some Mistakes of Moses, page 43. 

And if he breaks through into the dark waters 
of eternal death, who is responsible ? The 
bridge? No.- The Bible? No. The Holy 
Ghost? No. The Divine Government ? No. 
The "clergy?" No. God has not "damned" 
that man. He has destroyed himself. He 
chose death and received it. Infidels may cry, 
" No danger ; " bat this does not remove the 
peril. The bridge of unbelief is unsafe, and 
has been condemned. The warning signals are 
displayed. Multitudes of unbelievers have 
driven recklessly on and died in despair. 

How different the route leading to heaven 
which is perfectly safe, guarded by angels, 
watched over by him whose eye "never sleeps 



108 IXGERSOLL ANSWERED 

nor slumbers ; " its terminus, not in an abyss 
of darkness, but in that City of Light above. 

And there shall be no night there ; and they need no 
candle, neither light of the sun, for the Lord God giveth 
them light, and they shall reign forever and ever. — Rev. 
xxii., 5. 



XXIY. 
Foreigners. 
ixgersoll. 

Jehovah hated foreigners. The Gentiles were left with- 
out forgiveness. — The Christian Religion, pyage 15. 

BIBLE. 

And when a stranger shall sojourn with thee, and will 
keep the passover to the- Lord, let all his males be circum- 
cised, and then let him come near and keep it, and he shall 
be as one born in the land : for no uncircumcised person 
shall eat thereof. One law shall be to him that is home- 
born, and unto the stranger that sojourneth among you. — 
Exodus xii.. 48-49. See also Lev. xvii., 8. Numbers xv., 15. 

All who were not descendants of some one of the twelve 
sons of Jacob, or of Ephraim and Manasseh, the two sons 
of Joseph, were reputed strangers or proselytes among the 
Jews. But of those strangers or proselytes there were two 
kinds, called among them proselytes of the gate and pro- 
selytes of justice or of the covenant. The former were such 
as wished to dwell among the Jews, but would not submit 
to be circumcised ; they, however, acknowledged the true 
God, avoided all idolatry, and observed the seven precepts 
of Noah, but were not obliged to observe any of the Mosaic 
institutions. The latter submitted to be circumcised, 
obliged themselves to observe all the rights and ceremonies 
of the law, and were in nothing different from the Jews but 



FROM THE BIBLE. 109 

merely in their once having been heathens. The former, 
or proselytes of the gate, might not eat the passover or par- 
take of any of the sacred festivals ; but the latter, the 
proselytes of the covenant, had the same rights, spiritual 
and secular, as the Jews themselves. — Clark's Comment- 
ary, vol. 1. page 357. 

Thou shalt neither vex a stranger nor oppress him, for ye 
were strangers in the land of Egypt. — Exodus xxii., 21. 

And if a stranger sojourn with thee in your land, ye shall 
not vex him. Bat the stranger that dwelleth with you 
shall be unto you as one born among you, and thou shalt 
love him as thyself ; for ye were strangers in the land of 
H^gypt ; I am the Lord your God. — Lev. xix., 33-35. 

Would it not be well if such a law, respect- 
ing ' ' vexing " or " oppressing ' ' strangers, were 
enforced among all the nations of the world ? 

"Jehovah" did not "hate foreigners." 
"The Gentiles" were not "left without for- 
giveness." They might become members of 
the Jewish Church by conforming to the 
Mosaic law. The Cities of Refuge were for 
"strangers" and "sojourners" as well as 
Jews. They were free to all who desired to 
flee thither for safety. 



110 INGERSOLL ANSWERED 

XXV. 

G. 

Genealogy. 

ingersoll. 

Two of the witnesses, Matthew and Luke, give the gene- 
alogy of Christ. Matthew says that there were forty two 
generations from Abraham to Christ. Luke insists that 
there were forty-two from Christ to David, while Matthew 
gives the number as twenty eight. It may be said that 
this is an old objection. An objection remains young until 
it has been answered. Is it not wonderful that Luke and 
Matthew do not agree on a single name of Christ's ances- 
tors for thirty-seven generations. — The Christian Religion, 
page 70. 

This is one of Thomas Paine 1 s old objections 
reiterated by Ingersoll. 

The word generation in Scripture has a 
variety of meanings. 

This word is used for the history and genealogy of any 
man. For example : This is the book of the generations of 
Adam. — Gen. v., 1. This is the history of Adam's creation, 
and that of his posterity. These are the generations of the 
heavens and of the earth. — Gen. ii., 4. This is a recital of 
the creation of heaven and earth. And in Matt, i., 1. The 
book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David. 
This is the genealogy of Jesus Christ and the history of his 
life, death and resurrection. It is likewise taken for per- 
sons or people who live in some one age. — Heb. iii., 10. I 
was grieved with that generation ; with those men that 
came out of Egypt, and rebelled against me in the wilder- 
ness. * * * The men of this generation, the men who 
are now alive. — Luke xi., 31. * * * The ancients some- 
times computed by generations and the Scripture follows 



FROM THE BIBLE. Ill 

frequently this method. * * * By some of the ancients 
a generation was fixed at a hundred years, by others at a 
hundred and ten. by others at thirty-three, thirty, five-and- 
twenty, and even at twenty years ; so that there was noth- 
ing uniform and settled in this matter, only it is remarked 
that the continuance of generations is so much longer as it 
comes nearer to the more ancient times. — Cruden. 

Matthew gives the generations in reference 
to time— the average life of man — which, as we 
have seen, would be lengthened in proportion 
as we traced it towards the creation, Luke 
gives us the succession of individuals, from 
father to son, etc. 

It will be readily seen that a generation in 
time — the average life of man — might include 
more than one generation of individuals. 

It is "not wonderful that Luke and Matthew 
do not agree on a single name of Christ's an- 
cestors for thirty-seven generations," since 
Matthew gives the genealogy of Joseph, and 
Luke the genealogy of Mary. 



XXVI. 

God. 

ingersolx. 



Man has no ideas, and can have none, except those sug- 
gested by his surroundings. — The Gods, page 27. 

If the above statement be true, it certainly 
proves the existence of a Supreme Being. 



112 1NGERSOLL ANSWERED 

In all ages there have been men who had the 
idea of a God. Whence did this idea originate I 
As " man can have no ideas except those sug- 
gested by his surroundings," there must have 
been an Omnipresent Being surrounding man in 
every age, else whence came the idea ? 

To me, it seems easy to account for these ideas concern- 
ing gods and devils. They are a perfectly natural produc- 
tion. Man has created them all, and under the same cir- 
cumstances would create them again. Man has not only 
created all these gods, but he has created them out of the 
materials by which he has been surrounded. Generally he 
has modeled them after himself, and has given them hands, 
heads, feet, eyes, ears and organs of speech. Each nation 
made its gods and devils speak its language not only, but 
put in their mouths the same mistakes in history, geogra- 
phy, astronomy, and in all matters of fact, generally made 
by the people. No god was ever in advance of the nation 
that created him. The negroes represented their deities 
with black skins and curly hair. The Mongolian gave to 
his a yellow complexion and dark almond-shaped e3 r es. 
The Jews were not allowed to paint theirs or we should have 
seen Jehovah with a full beard, an oval face and an aquiline 
nose. Zeus was a perfect Greek and Jove looted as though 
a member of the Roman senate. The Gods of Egypt had 
the patient face and placid look of the loving people who 
made them. The Gods of northern countries were repre- 
sented warmly clad in robes of fir ; those of the tropics 
were naked. The Gods of India were often mounted upon 
elephants ; those of some islands were great swimmers, and 
the deities of the Arctic zone were passionately fond of 
whales' blubber. — The Gods, pages 23-24. 

Ingersoll in attempting to place Jehovah on 
a level with heathen deities is compelled to 
make statements, which traced to their logical 



FROM THE BIBLE. 113 

conclusions, prove Jehovah's superiority to man 
and all man u created" Gods. He portrays the 
features of the heathen deities. If man 
" made " all these gods and "modeled them af- 
ter himself," "why" does not Ingersoll de- 
scribe to us the Jewish portrait of Jehovah in- 
stead of imagining how he would have looked 
if the " Jews had been allowed to paint him \ " 
If the Jewish nation created Jehovah, why 
were they not allowed to paint his image \ 
Why this exception among the thousands of 
deities % Simply because there was no visible 
object like Jehovah. Who gave the prohibi- 
tion \ Jehovah himself, who knew that a true 
representation of himself could not be made by 
man. Had the Jews, like other nations, "cre- 
ated" a God, they would have had his image 
before them which "resembled his creators." 

Again, if "man has no ideas and can have 
none except those suggested by his surround- 
ings," and cannot "reach beyond nature even 
in thought," whence did the Jews get the idea 
of a God that Cuuld not be represented by any 
visible object in all the realm of nature, and 
that it was a sin to attempt to make his like- 
ness \ No other of the vast number of Gods 
whom Ingersoll names made such a prohibi- 
tion. Man-made deities were subject to their 
makers, but the God of the Bible was subject 
to no other being. His law was supreme. 

15 



114 INGERSOLL ANSWERED 

IXGERSOEL AGAINST HIMSELF. 

I do not say there is none. I do not know. As I have 
said before, thi j is the only planet I was ever on. I live in 
one of the rural districts of the universe, and do not know 
about these things as much as the clergy pretend to ; 
but if Ihey know no more about the other world than they 
do about this, it is not worth mentioning. — Orthodoxy, 
page 13. 

Note carefully the above in which he says 
" I do not say there is none," (no God,) then 
read the following : 

Beyond the universe there is nothing, and within the uni- 
verse the supernatural does not and cannot exist. The mo- 
ment these great truths are understood and admitted, a 
belief in general or special providence becomes impossible. 
— The Gods, page 57. 

The universe * * is the only thing that ever did, does, 
or can exist. — The Christian Religion, page 49. 

If the last two statements do not constitute 
a denial of the existence of a God, then what 
does? Most any man living in "rural" dis- 
tricts ought to be able to perceive this. Even 
the "clergy" can see it. 



XXVII. 

H. 

Happiness. 

INGERSOLL,. 



Happiness is the only possible good, and all that tends to 
the happiness of man is right, and is of value. All that 
tends to develop the bodies and minds of men — all that 



FROM THE BIBLE, 115 

gives us better houses, better clothes, better food, better 
pictures, grander music, better heads, better hearts — all 
that renders us more intellectual and more loving, nearer 
jufet ; that makes us better husbands and wives, better 
children, better citizens — all these things combined produce 
what I call Progress. — Tlte Ghosts, page 59. 

And the above are the legitimate results of 
Christianity, clusters from that great vineyard 
- — Revealed Religion. Infidelity gathers the 
fruit and carries it to man as the product of 
Atheism. It acts like a boy in whose hand has 
been placed a dollar to hand to a beggar. He 
gives it to him with all the importance of a 
millionaire. The blessing he conveys is only 
borrowed, and all the benefit Infidelity seems 
to carry to the race is borrowed from the very 
Gospel it ridicules. It swells on borrowed 
capital. Is a man made " better" by embrac- 
ing Atheism ? Will this check his lying, 
cheating, stealing, or " whipping" his wife? 

It is the direct and indirect influence of 
Christianity that "betters" the condition of 
the race. Ingersoll says: "Ail these things 
combined produce what I call Progress." But 
what he calls "Progress" is only the result, it 
is not the cause. 

Again, by what standard are we to judge of 
the "better houses, clothes, food, pictures," 
etc. I What one might consider "better," 
another might regard as worse. The savage 
believes "happiness the only possible good," 



116 INGERSOLL ANSWERED 

as he slakes his thirst in the blood of his vic- 
tim. Will Atheism teach him differently? 
Would it not be "better" to say, u holiness is 
the only possible good, and all that tends to 
the purification of man is right \ " In propor- 
tion as man is cleansed from his sin, in that 
proportion will man find true happiness. The 
Gospel seeks to make men happy by making 
them good. 

BIBLE. 

But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peace- 
able, grentle and easy to be entreated, full of ni-rcy and 
good fruits without partiality and without hypocrisy. — 
James iii., 17. 

Infidelity and false religions would purify 
the stream, leaving the fountain corrupt. The 
Gospel aims at the heart. "Is thine heart 
right?" is the great question. Many would 
like the peace first, and the purifying only, if 
they must submit to it. Other religions may 
write : First, peaceable, then pure. Enjoy 
yourselves in sin in this life, and at death, or 
after, be purified and prepared to enter heaven. 
The Gospel reverses this order, and writes, in 
all its teachings: " First pure, tlien peace- 
able" This is the foundation of all true hap 
piness, the Alpha, the Sum mum Bonum of the 
Gospel. 

A little girl was asked, if she could have but 
one of the blessings Jesus pronounced in his 



FROM THE BIBLE. 117 

Sermon on the Mount, which one of them she 
would prefer or which character she would 
rather be. Her beautiful answer was: U I 
would rather be the pure in heart, since if I 
had a pure heart I should have all the other 
beatitudes thrown in. I should have the 
mercy, the meekness," etc. 

The true source of happiness is in "Holi- 
ness unto the Lord." 

Can the belief of no God, no Redeemer, no 
Holy Ghost, no Revelation, add to the sum of 
human bliss? Grant for a moment that these 
doctrines may add to the happiness of those 
who have the blessings of health and property, 
pray what consolation can Infidelity furnish to 
the deformed, to the poor, to the sick, to the 
aged, to the dying % Will it comfort a man to 
tell him he is only the "evolved" form of a 
lower grade of being and it is necessary for him 
to pass away to make room for "evolved" 
forms of a higher order % Go to his bedside and 
speak to him about "Natural Selection," 
" The Survival of the Fittest," and will he be 
comforted? What consolation can Ingersoll- 
ism, with all its boasted goodness, bring to the 
sorrowing ones of earth ? Let the Sun of Right- 
eousness arise upon the suffering and dying with 
healing in his wings, and how quickly the shad- 
ows flee away. 

Sometimes in our dreams we fancy our- 



118 INGERSOLL ANSWERED 

selves away on the hillside. We have retired 
weary, weary in our search for earthly treas- 
ures. We behold scattered around us gold and 
silver coins, precious stones and sparkling dia- 
monds. We gather them as rapidly as possi- 
ble ; we till our pockets, we fill our baskets, and 
while in our greatest haste and eagerness to 
gather more, we wake, 'tis all a dream, a vision 
of the night. Infidelity leads us to dream of 
treasures, to dream of happiness, but the 
Gospel of Christ leads us to true riches. 
and solid comfort. It does not lead us on 
in pursuit of that which it never gives, 
but brings us into possession of the Pearl of 
Great Price and opens up before us "an inher- 
itance incorruptible, undetiled and that fadeth 
not away." 

But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteous- 
ness, and all these things shall be added unto you. — Malt., 
vi., 33. 



XXVIII. 
Helpmeet. 
ingersoll. 



He (God) made the beasts and tried to induce Adam to 
take one for "an helpmeet. " If I am incorrect read the 
following and tell me what it means : 

" And the Lord God said it is not good that the man 
should be alone, I will make him an helpmeet for him. 
And out of the ground the Lord God formed every beast of 



FROM THE BIBLE. 119 

the field and every fowl of the air and brought them unto 
Adam to see what he would call them, and whatsoever 
Adam called every living creature that was the name 
thereof. 

"And Adam gave names to all cattle and to the fowl of 
the air and to every beast of tl e field, but for Adam there 
was not found an helpmeet for him " 

Unless the Lord was looking for an helpmeet for Adam, 
why did he cause the animals to pass before him, and why 
did he after the menagerie had passed by pathetically ex- 
claim : " But for Adam there was not found an helpmeet 
for him ? " — Some Mistakes of Moses, page 114. 

Ingersoll has quoted the reason above from 
the 

BIBLE. 

And brought them unto Adam to see what he would call 
them. — Gen. ii., 19. 

And not to " induce Adam to take one of them 
for an helpmeet." 

INGERSOLL. 

It seems that Adam saw nothing that struck his fancy. 
The fairest ape, the sprightliest champanzee, the loveliest 
baboon, the most bewitching orang outang, the most fas- 
cinating cgorilla, failed to touch with love's sweet pain poor 
Adam's lonely heart. Let us rejoice that this was so. Had 
he fallen in love, then there never would have been a free 
thinker in this world — Some Mistakes of Moses, page 114. 

Will Ingersoll define a "sweet pain 2" All 
the pain we have experienced has been any- 
thing but "sweet." Suppose the "fairest 
ape" had touched with love's "sweet pain" 
poor Adam' s lonely heart. He would only have 
fallen in love with one of his own ancestry 
which was not then as fully "evolved " as him- 



120 INGERSOLL ANSWERED 

self. Had he been an evolutionist he might pos- 
sibly have hoped that h^-r apeship would some- 
time develop into true womanhood. 

INGERSOLL. 

Imagine the Lord God with a bone in his hand with 
w^hich to start a woman trying to make up his mind 
whether to make a blonde or a brunette !'" — Ibid, pagellti. 

And the above picture could exist only in 
imagination. But suppose it were literally 
true, would it be any more ridiculous than to 
believe that woman is only an "evolved " ape \ 
or that man sprang from the u Moner \ " 



XXIX. 

Home. 

ingersoll. 

Let me tell you to day it is far more important to build a 
home than to erect a church. The holiest temple beneath 
the star.-; is a home that love has built, and the holiest altar 
in all the wide world is the fireside around which gather 
father, mother and the sweet babes. — What Must We Do 
to be Saved, page 32. 

And such a home is not the fruit of Atheism, 
but of Christianity. Ingersollism can come to 
these homes already built and be eloquent over 
them, but it cannot independent of the light 
of Revealed religion, erect them. Whence the 
principles which make "Home * * the holiest 
temple beneath the stars \ " 



FROM THE BIBLE. 121 

4 'Why" do we not find such "homes" in 
heathen darkness ? 

What is " home " in India, in a Kaffir Kraal, 
or in Mormondom ? 

All the true and beautiful sentiments Infi- 
delity utters about the home or the family were 
borrowed ±rom the Christian Religion. 

In the Bible will be found, no description of a civilized 
liome. — The Ghosts, page 140. 

Was it not a " civilized" borne described by 
Jesus in the Parable of the Prodigal Son \ 

Was it an." uncivilized" father that ran to 
nteetthe returning boy, that killed the fatted 
calf, fed the half starved youth, and exchanged 
his rags for the best robe in the house ? 



XXX. 

I. 

Image or God. 

INGERSOLL. 

We are next informed by the author of the Pentateuch 
that God said, "Let us make man in our image, after our 
likeness." * * * If this account means anything, it 
means that man was created in the physical image and 
likeness of God. — Some Mistakes of Moses, page 92. 

BIBLE. 

And have put on the new man which is renewed in 
knowledge after the image of him that created him. — Col. 
iii., 10. 

16 



122 INGERSOLL ANSWERED 

And that ye put on the new nian which after God is 
created in righteousness and true holiness. — Eph. iv., 24. 

The Bible in no instance teaches that man 
was created in the physical image of his maker. 
He was created after the moral likeness of God 
— pure, and the texts quoted above clearly 
prove that the image of God, in the scriptural 
sense, signifies "righteousness and true holi- 
ness." 

INGERSOLL. 

Moses, while he speaks of man as having been made in 
the image of God, never speaks of God except as having 
the form of a man. — Some Mistakes of Moses, page 92. 

BIBLE. 

In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. 
—Gen. i., 1. 

Read, also, Gen. xxviii., 21; xxxix., 9; 
xxxii., 9 ; etc. 

The Eternal God is thy refuge. — Deut. xxxiii., 27. 

God is not a man that he should lie. — Numbers xxiii., 19. 

Do not these texts " speak of God " without 
representing him as ''having the form of a 
man?" 



XXXI. 
Immortality. 
ingersoll. 

Upon the subject of a future state there is not one word 
in the Pentateuch. — Some Mistakes of Moses, page 47. 



FROM THE BIBLE. 123 

BIBLE. 

And Enoch walked with God, and he was not, for God 
took him. — Gen. v., 24. 

Here is one mentioned in the " Pentateuch " 
who did not die but was translated. 

INGER§OLL. 

Neither the Bible nor the Church gave us the idea of 
immortality. The Old Testament tells us how we lost im- 
mortality, and it does not say a word about another world, 
from the first mistake in Genesis to the last curse in 
Malachi. — Orthodoxy, page 

BIBLE. 

And it came to pass, as they still went on, and talked, 
that, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of 
fire, and parted them both asunder ; and Elijah went up 
by a whirlwind into heaven. — 2d Kings, ii., 11. 

Elijah, mentioned in the " Old Testament," 
was carried into "another world" without 
dying. 

For I krow that my Redeemer liveth, and that he shall 
stand at the latter day upon the earth. And though after 
my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I 
see God.— Job xix., 25, 26. 

One more "Old Testament" reference to 
"another world." 

INGERSOLL. 

If Christ was in fact God, why did he not plainly say 
there is another life ? Why did he not tell us something 
about it ? Why did he not turn the tear-stained hope of 
immortality into the glad knowledge of another life? 
Why did he go dumbly to his death and leave the world in 
darkness and in doubt? Why? Because he was a man 
and did not know.— Orthodoxy, pages 46, 47. 



124 INGERSOLL ANSWERED 



BIBLE. 



In my Father's house are many mansions : if it were not 
so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. 
And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, 
and receive you unto myself ; that where I am, there ye 
may be also. — Christ, John xiv., 2, 3. 

And these shall go away into everlasting punishment : 
but the righteous into life eternal. — Christ, Matthew 
xxv., 46. 

But he shall receive * * * in the world to come eter- 
nal life. — Christ, Mark x., 30. 

" Christ" did not "go dumbly to his death 
and leave the world in darkness and doubt" 
in reference to another life." 



XXXII. 

J. 

Jesus Christ. 

IXGERSOL.L. 

I cannot believe in the miraculous origin of Jesus Christ. 
I believe he was the son of Joseph and Mary ; that Joseph 
and Mary had been duly and legally married ; that he was 
the legitimate offspring of that union. Nobody ever believed 
the contrary until he had been dead at least 150 years. 
Neither Matthew, Mark or Luke ever dreamed that he was 
of divine origin. He did not say to either Matthew, 
Mark or Luke, or to any one in their hearing, that he was 
the Son of God, or that he was miraculously conceived. 
He did not say it. It may be asserted that he said it to 
John. But John did not write the gospel that bears his 
name. The angel Gabriel, who, they say, brought the 



FROM THE BIBLE. 125 

news, never wrote a word upon the subject. The mother 
of Christ never wrote a word upon the subject. His alleged 
father never wrote a word upon the subject, and Joseph 
never admitted the story. — Orthodoxy, page 27. 

BIBLE. 

Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise : When 
as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they 
came together, she was found with child of the Holy 
Ghost. Then Joseph he*" husband, being a just man, and 
not willing to make her a public example, was minded to 
put her away privily. But while he thought on these 
things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared uuto him in 
a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to 
take unto thee Mary thy wife : for that which is conceived 
in her is of the Holy Ghost. And she shall bring forth a 
son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS : for he shall save 
his people from their sins. Now all this was done that it 
might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the 
prophet, saying, behold, a virgin shall be with child, and 
shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Em- 
manuel, which being interpreted is God with us. Then 
Joseph being raised from sleep, did as the angel of the Lord 
had bidden him and took unto him his wife. — Matthew 1., 
18-24. 

Here is positive evidence that Joseph " ad- 
mitted the story" and sanctioned the whole 
transaction by living with Mary as his wife. 

He trusted in God ; let him deliver him now if he will 
save him ; for he said I am the Son of God. — Matthew 
xxvii.. 43. 

Christ's enemies, who did not believe in his 
" divine origin," here affirm that he said "I 
am the Son of God." 

The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ the Son of 
God.— Mark i., 1. 



126 INGERSOLL ANSWERED 

Mark certainly believed Christ was of "di- 
vine origin." 

And the angel answered and said unto her : The Holy 
Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the highest 
shall overshadow thee : therefore also that holy thing 
which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.- • 
Luke i., 35. 

We do not know whether " Matthew, Mark 
or Luke" ever ''dreamed that Christ was of 
divine origin " or not, but when wide awake 
they knew him to be the " Son of God " 

In the beginning was the Word, and the word was with 
God, and the word was God. — Johni., 1. 

The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and 
saith, Behold the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin 
of the world. — John i., 29. 

Before Abiaham was I am. — John viii., 58. 

I came forth from the Father, and am come into the 
world again. I leave the world : and go to the Father. — 
Jesus, John xvi.. 28. 

And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self 
with the glory which I had with thee before the world was. 
— Jesus, John xvii., 5. 

The foregoing and many other texts from 
" John " prove the "divine origin " of Christ. 
If "John did not write the Gospel that bears 
his name," it is Ingersoll's duty to inform us 
who did write it \ He here attempts to throw 
aside John's testimony, because it is against 
his case, and the reader will find this charac- 
teristic of his works. 

The gospels were written so long after the death of Christ 
that very little was known of him and substantially noth- 
ing of his parents. — Interviews on Talmage, page 122. 



FROM THE BIBLE. 127 

Vastly more is known of Jesus Christ than 
of Shakespeare, whom Ingersoll eulogizes so 
highly. We have the testimony of both sacred 
and profane history concerning the Son of God. 

Ingersoll believes that Shakespeare was 
born, lived, wrote poems and died, and yet 
" very little was known of him, and substan- 
tially nothing of his parents," as will be seen 
by the following : 

The exact date of his (Shakespeare's) birth is not known. 
-*New American Cyeiopcedia, vol. xiv.. page 547. 

We know nothing positive of Shakespeare from his birth 
until his marriage, and from that date nothing but the birth 
of his three children until we find him an actor in London 
about the year 1589. — Ibid, page 548. 

Almost 100 years ago George Stevens wrote " All that is 
known with any degree of certainty concerning Shakes- 
peare is, tha«: he was born at Stratford-upon-Avon, married 
and had children there, went to London where he com- 
menced actor, wrote poems and plays, returned to Strat- 
ford, made his will, died and was buried." The assiduous 
researches of a century have discovered little more than 
this. — Ibid, page 552. 

Will Ingersoll tell us "why" he believes in 
Shakespeare, and his writings, with less evi- 
dence to prove his existence and the authen- 
ticity of his works than there is to prove the 
fact of Christ's existence, that "he spake as 
never man spake," and wrought the wonder- 
ful works attributed to him % " 

This being, Christ, stands out more promi- 
nently than any other character on the pages 
of history. If he is what he claimed to be, he 



128 INGERSOLL ANSWERED 

is the greatest of all greatness. If he was an 
impostor, he was the most gigantic fraud the 
world has ever seen. The same arguments 
which would disprove his existence would blot 
from the pages of history the names of earth's 
greatest heroes, kings, poets and warriors, and 
th^ same reasoning which would disprove the 
authenticity of Christ's utterances would over- 
throw all ancient history. Tiiis great prophet 
said : 

Upon this rock I will build my Church and the gates of 
hell shall not prevail against it. — Matthew xvi., 18. 

"Upon that Rock I stand." 

Can it be pretended that the witnesses could not have 
been mistaken about the relation the Holy Ghost is alleged 
to have sustained to Jesus Christ? Is there no possibility 
of a delusion about a circumstance of that kind? Did the 
writers of the four gospels have the sensible and true 
avouch of their own eyes and ears in that behalf? How 
was it possible for any one of the four Evangelists to know 
that Christ was the Son of God or that he was God ? His 
mother wrote nothing on the subject. — The Christian 
Religion, page 66. 

The mother of Christ never wrote a word upon the sub- 
ject. His alleged father never wrote a word upon the 
subject.— Orthodoxy, page 27. 

Is it possible for Ingersoll to know his off- 
spring are his own ? 

; 'Is there no possibility of a delusion about 
a circumstance of that kind i" 

Thomas Paine also ridicules the miraculous 
conception as follows : 



FROM THE BIBLE. 129 

The story, taking it as it is told, is blasphemously ob- 
scene. It gives an account of a young woman engaged to 
be married, and while under this engagement, she is, to* 
speak plain language, debauched by a ghost, under the 
impious pretense (Luke, chap, i., ver. 35.) that "the Holy 
Ghost shall come upon thee and the power of the Highest 
shall overshadow thee." Notwithstanding which, Joseph 
afterwards marries her, cohabits with her as his wife, and 
in his turn rivals the ghost. This is putting the story into 
intelligible language, and when told in this manner there 
is not a priest but must be ashamed to own it. — Age of 
Reason, page 117. 

Was it necessary for the disciples to "have 
the sensible and true avouch of their own eyes 
and ears in that behalf?" It is more certain 
that Christ was begotten of the Holy Grhost, 
and was the Son of Mary, than that John and 
Mary Shakespeare were the parents of William 
Shakespeare. Did the historians who say that 
these persons were the parents of "the greatest 
man that ever lived" have the "sensible and 
true avouch of their own eyes and ears in that 
behalf?" Was it necessary? Did Shake- 
speare's "father" write anything upon the 
subject I Concerning him we read : 

Like many others of even higher rank than his at that 
time, he could not write his own name. — New American 
Cyclopaedia, vol. XIV., page 547. 

We have no evidence that Shakespeare's 
"mother wrote a word upon the subject." 
Ingersoll's arguments against Christ and the 
Bible continually militate against " the great- 
est of the human race." 

17 



130 INGERSOLL ANSWERED 

The miraculous origin of Christ and his won- 
derful character and career had been foretold 
centuries before, as will be seen by referring to 
the chapter on Prophecy, and when Christ 
came he fulfilled all that was prophesied con- 
cerning him, which cannot be said of Shake- 
speare. 

If we are to reject the miraculous conception 
because we cannot comprehend it, we must 
then disbelieve very many oth^r wonderful 
things which we know exist, aye, we must re- 
ject ihe great fact of a universe, whose very 
existence is a mystery which Infidels cannot 
explain. That the "Power of the Highest" 
should "come upon a virgin and the Holy 
Ghost overshadow her" is no more strange 
than the existence of the world, or the origin 
of man, from either a self-existent or a self- 
made Monad. If Infidels annihilate the mirac- 
ulous conception, they must also blot out the 
wonders wrought on the day of Pentecost by the 
Holy Ghost. The same spirit that converted 
three thousand souls in one day could produce 
the miraculous conception. Every one who 
has felt the power of the Holy Spirit resting 
upon his soul is a witness in favor of such pos- 
sibility. Had Christ been only human he 
could not be in the world to-day by his spirit 
forgiving sins, cleansing hearts, comforting 
the afflicted and healing of bodily inlirmities. 



FROM THE BIBLE. 131 

The miraculous conception is of course won- 
derful Christ's birth, life, preaching, death, 
resurrection and ascension are all wonderful. 
His whole existence is the wonder of all ages. 
Had an angel been pushed out of heaven and 
suddenly changed into a worm, doomed to 
creep in the dust for thirty- three years, or 
had the snn fallen from his sphere and been 
degraded into a wandering atom, the abase- 
ment would not have been as great as for the 
King of Kings to become incarnate, a babe 
rocked in the arms of feeble woman, a man 
walking through the vale of poverty and re- 
proach, submitting to the shameful death of 
the cross, in order to bring fallen humanity 
back to God. Well might the prophet ex- 
claim as he foresaw the humiliation of Christ, 
and his mighty deeds : 
His name shall be called wonderful — Isa. ix., 6. 
1XGERSOLL AGAINST HIMSELF. 

Is it not astonishing that so little is in the New Testament 
concerning the mother of Christ ? My own opinion is that 
she was an excellent woman and the wife of Joseph, and 
that Joseph was the actual father of Christ. — Interviews on 
Talmage, page 121. 

Here he believes Christ existed, that his 
mother "teas an excellent woman " and u tliat 
Joseph was the actual father of Christ." 

Again : 

I believe he (Christ) was the son of Joseph and Mary, 
that Joseph and Mary had been duly and legally married. 



132 INGERSOLL ANSWERED 

that he was the legitimate offspring of that union. — Ortho- 
doxy, page 27. 

Here again he really believes there was such 
a being as Christ. But what are we to do with 
the following : 

We know nothing certainly of Jesus Christ. We know 
nothing of his infancy, nothing of his youth and we are 
not sure that such a person ever existed.— Interviews on 
Talmage, page 273. 

Once more : 

Back of the theological shreds, rags, and patches, hiding 
the real Christ, I see a genuine man. — What Must We Do 
to be Saved, page 22. 

Whether Christ " was the son of Joseph and 
Mary '," or whether he ever "existed" or not, 
Ingersoll now sees in him a " genuine man" 
and "to that great and serene man" he says^ 
" I gladly pay, I gladly pay the tribute of my 
admiration and my tears" — What Mast We 
Do to be Saved, page 21 . 

While Ingersoll is in "tears" over his "con- 
tradictions" we invite his careful and tearful 
attention to one more of his inconsistencies in 
connection with this subject and then leave 
him — weeping. Ingersoll calls Christ a " gen- 
uine man " — " a great and serene m%n." 

But Christ, as we have already shown, 
claimed to be of divine origin. If he was not 
of divine origin he was a fearful liar. Can a 
man be a "genuine man " a "great and serene 
man, " and yet be such a terrible impostor. If 



FROM THE BIBLE. 133 

a man is a good man who claims to be God, 
when he is not, what is a bad man \ 

For the man Christ I have infinite respect. — What Must 
We Do to be Saved, p age 20. 

If he can have "infinite respect" for an 
"infinite" fraud for whom can he have any 
disrespect. 



XXXIII. 

Jericho. 

ingersolx. 

Is it scientific to assert that seven priests blew seven 
rams' horns loud enough to blow down the walls of a city ? 
— Interviews on Talmage, page 259. 

No ; no more "scientific" than to say that 
the noise of infidel horns will ever blow down 
the walls of the great citadel of Revealed 
Religion. 

The Bible nowhere says that "seven priests 
blew seven rams' horns loud enough to blow 
down the walls of a city." 

BIBLE. 

By faith the walls of Jericho fell down after they were 
compassed about seven days. — Hebrews xi., 30. 

It was not noise, but faith in God that de- 
stroved the walls. 



134 INGERSOLL ANSWERED 

XXXIV. 
The Jews. 
ingersoll. 

We find that other nations heside the Jews had similar 
laws and ideas — that they believed in and practiced slavery 
and polygamy, murdered women and children and exter- 
minated their neighbors to the extent of their power. It 
is not claimed that they received a revelation. It is 
admitted that they had no knowledge of the true God. 
And yet by a strange coincidence they practiced the same 
crimes of their own motion that the Jews did by the com- 
mand of Jehovah. From this it would seem that man can 
do wrong without a special revelation. — Tlie Christian 
Religion, page 6. 

Why were the Jewish people as wicked, cruel and ignor- 
ant with a revelation from God as other nations were with- 
out. — Tlie Christian Religion, page GO. 

BIBLE. 

When thou art come into the land which the Lord thy 
God giveth thee thou shalt not learn to do after the abomi- 
nations of those nations. — Dent, xviii., 9. 

Jehovah, instead of "commanding'- the Jews 
to "practice the same crimes" as the nations 
around them, positively "commanded" them 
not to do these things!. 

Read the eighteenth chapter of Leviticus, 
and see if the Canaanites were not "more 
wicked, cruel and ignorant" than the Jewish 
people. From the third and twenty-fourth 
verses we learn that the Canaanites did the 
things enumerated in this chapter, which were 



FROM THE BIBLE. 135 

far worse than any of the practices of the 
Jews. 

They were steeped in the very vilest forms 
of wickedness. The foulest incest with man 
and beast prevailed. They flung their own 
children alive into the flames to appease their 
Gods. The Israelites were warned not to 
" walk in their ordinances." 

INGERSOLL. 

There were seventy souls when they went down into 
Egypt and they remained two hundred and fifteen years, 
and at the end of that time they had increased to about 
three million. * * * * We know it because we are 
informed by Moses that " there were six hundred thousand 
men of war." Now. to each man of war there must have 
been at least five other people. * * * If there were six 
hundred thousand men of war there must have been a popu- 
lation of at least three million. Is it possible that seventy 
people could increase to that extent in two hundred and 
fifteen years? ■ * * * In 1776, we had in the American 
Colonies about three millions of people. In one hundred 
years we doubled four times ; that is to say, six, twelve, 
twenty four, forty-eight million — our present population. 
We must not forget that during all these years there has 
bean pouring into our our country a vast stream of emi- 
gration, and that, this taken in connection with the fact 
that our country is productive beyond all others, gave us 
only four doubles in one hundred years. * * * Every 
sensible man knows that this account is not and cannot be 
true. We know that seventy people could not increase to 
three million in two hundred and fifteen years. — Some 
Mistakes of Moses, pages 186, 187. 



136 INGERSOLL ANSWERED 

BIBLE. 

Now, the sojourning of the Children of Isreal, who dwelt 
in Egypt, was four hundred and thirty years. — Exodus 
xii., 40. 

For the argument's sake we will admit Inger- 
soll's chronology and rate of increase, just a 
moment. 

The pilgrim fathers landed from the May- 
flower in 1620, and "in 1776 we had in the 
American colonies about three millions of 
people," according to Ingersoll. 

That is, the handful who came over in the 
Mayflower increased in one hundred and fifty- 
six years to "three million." Incredible! 
Deducting five hundred thousand for previous 
settlements, five hundred thousand more for 
the increase during these years by immigra- 
tion, which prior to 1776 was very small com- 
pared with that of the present time, and even 
then the colonists increased at the rate of four 
million in three hundred and twelve years. 
Impossible ! 

Why does he affirm that "In 1776 we had 
in the American colonies about three millions 
of people," and at the same time ridicule the 
increase of the "seventy" to " three millions " 
in "two hundred and fifteen years !" 



FROM THE BIBLE. 137 

XXXV. 

Judas. 

L\GERSOLL. 

For nearly two thousand years Judas Iscariot has been 
execrated by mmkind ; audyet if the doctrine of the atone- 
ment is true upon his treachery hung the plan of salvation . 
Suppose Judas had known of this plan, known that he was 
selected by Christ for the very purpose, that Christ was 
depending on him, and suppose that he also knew that only 
by betraying Christ could he save either himself or others, 
what ought Ju las to have done? — The Christian Religion, 
page 75. 

BIBLE. 

No man taketh it (my life) from me, but I lay it down 
myself. I have power to lay it down and I have power to 
take it up again. — Jesus, John x., 18. 

The Bible nowhere affirms that Judas " was 
selected by Christ for that very purpose." 
Judas was a free agent and voluntarily, for the 
sake of gain, betrayed his Lord. Without 
Christ's consent he (Christ) could not even 
have been taken from the garden. He said to 
the rabble : 

Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to my Father and 
he shall presently give me more than twelve legions of an- 
gels? — Matthew xxvi., 53. 

When he finally expired on the cross it was 
not from the wounds inflicted by the mob, but 
beneath the weight of the world's sin. It was 
the return of the cup presented to him in Geth 
semane that killed him. He would have died 

18 



138 IXGERSOLL ANSWERED 

under the burden had there been no Judas, and 
Judas, like every other sinner, must answer 
for his own crimes. 

Judas' awakened conscience so stung him 
that he repented, but immediately committed 
another crime — suicide. It were well for all 
who betray Christ to repent, but not to hang 
themselves. 



XXXYI. 
L. 

Labor. 



IXGEKSOIL. 

It is also unscientific to say that labor was pronounced as a 
curse upon man. Labor is not a curse — labor is a blessing; 
idleness is a curse. — Interviews on Talmage, page 256. 

Of course it is "unscientific 1 ' and untrue. 
The scripture nowhere teaches such doctrine. 

BIBLE. 

And the Lord God took the man and put him in the gar- 
den of Eden to dress it and to keep it. — Gen. ii., 15. 

He set Adam to work at once. After he fell 
he was also to labor. 

In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread till thou 
return unto the ground. — Gen. iii., 19. 

Before the fall he labored without fatigue, 
suffering or death. 

The curse pronounced upon man was not 
"labor" but "death" (Gen. n., 17). The Bible, 



FROM THE BIBLE. ldD 

as well as experience, teaches that J " Idleness 
is a curse." 

Slothf ulness casteth into a deep sleep : and an idle soul 
shall suffer hunger. — Prov. xix., 15. 

For even when we were with you, this we commanded 
you, that if any would not work neither should he eat. — II. 
Thess., iii., 10. 



XXX VII. 

Last Woeds of Christ. 
ingersoll. 

The last words according to Matthew are : " Go ye there- 
fore and teach all nations." * * * The last words ac- 
cording to the inspired witness known as Mark are : "And 
these signs shall follow them that believe. * * * Luke 
tells us that the last words uttered by Christ, with the ex- 
ception of a blessing, were : '"And behold, I send forth the 
promise of my father upon you." * * * The last words 
according to John were : " Peter seeing Him saith to Jesus, 
Lord what shalt this man do ?" ■ * * * An account of 
the ascension is also given in the Acts of the Apostles, and 
the last words of Christ, according to that inspired witness, 
are :" But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy 
Ghost is come upon you." * * * — Tlie Christian Re- 
ligion, page 69. 

This phrase, ''The last words of Christ," is 
an Ingersollian "interpolation." Neither Mat- 
thew, Mark, Luke nor John say anything 
about the "last words of Christ." We have 
the first words of Christ which the Evangelists 
respectively record, and the last words which 
they respectively record, but none of them tell 



140 INGERSOLL ANSWERED 

us that the last words they have recorded were 
u The last words of Christ." 



XXXVIII. 

Miracles. 
M. 

INGERSOLL. 

Bring on your believer ! Let him cast out a devil, I do 
not ask for a large one, just a little one for a cent. — Some 
Mistakes of Moses, page 42. 

We want a this year's fact. We only ask one. Give us 
one fact for charity. Your miracles are too ancient. The 
witnesses have been dead nearly two thousand years. Their 
reputation for truth and veracity in the neighborhood 
where they resided is wholly unknown to us. Give 
us a new miracle and substantiate it by witnesses 
who still have the cheerful habit of living in this world. — 
The Gods, pages 51-2. 

BIBLE. 

If they hear not Moses and the prophets neither 
will they be persuaded though one rose from the 
dead. — Jesus, Luke xvii., 31. 

INGERSOLL. 

A man comes into Jerusalem and the first thing he does 
is to cure the blind. * * A man is in his grave and he 
says " come forth ! " And the man walks in life, feeling his 
heart throb and his blood going joyously through his veins. 
They say that actually happened. I do not know. There 
is one wonderful thing about the dead people that were 
raised, we do not hear of them any more. * * Nobody 
ever paid the slightest attention to the dead who had been 
raised. — Orthodoxy, page 29. 



FROM THE BIBLE. 141 

The "wonderful thing" is that any man 
would print such a statement. 

BIBLE. 

Then Jesus, six days before the passover, came to Beth- 
any, where Lazarus was, which had been dead, whom he 
raised from the dead. There they made him a supper ; and 
Martha served, but Lazarus was one of them that sat at the 
table with him * * * Much people of the Jews there- 
fore knew that he was there ; and they came not for Jesus' 
sake only, but that they might see Lazarus also, whom he 
had raised from the dead. But the chief priests consulted 
that they might put Lazarus also to death ; because by rea- 
son of him many of the Jews went away and believed on 
Jesus. — John xii., 1-2. 

Lazarus, who was raised from the dead, sat 
at the table with Jesus in Bethany, and the 
assertion that " Nobody ever paid the slightest 
attention to " him is untrue. The chief priests, 
unbelievers, paid him some "slight" attention 
since they "consulted " (held a Free Thinkers' 
convention) that they might put him to death. 
Lazarus was making too many converts, and 
it stirred up the Jews. If Lazarus were 
raised from the dead to-day, there are people 
who would kill him for the same reason. 



XXXIX. 

Murder. 



IX(,EKSOLI, 

Is it possible that a being of infinite mercy ordered a 
husband to kill his wife for the crime of having expressed 



142 INGERSOLL ANSWERED 

an opinion on the subject of religion ?—The Christian 
Religion, page 53. 

No; not for the "crime" of having ex- 
pressed an opinion on the subject of religion, 
but for the crime of Idolatry ; for breaking 
the first commandment. 

BIB I.E. 

If there be found among you * * * man or woman 
* * * that hath gone and served other gods and wor- 
shipped them, either the sun or moon or any of the host of 
heaven which I have not commanded, * * * then shall 
thou * * stone them with stones till they die. — Deut. 
xvii., 2-5. 

Further, these idolaters were guilty of trea- 
son against the government, since church and 
stale were then one. 

Question: "Why" did Ingersoll enlist in 
the war for the Union % 

Answer: To "kill" traitors. 



XL. 

N. 

New Testament. 

ingersoll, against himself. 

Nowhere in the world can be found laws more unjust 
and cruel than in the Old Testament. — Interviews on Tal- 
magepage 193. 

The New Testament is just as much worse than the Old 
as hell is worse than sleep ; just as much worse as infinite 



FROM THE BIBLE. 143 

cruelty is worse than dreamless rest, and yet the New 
Testament is claimed to be the gospel of love and peace. — 
Orthodoxy, page 20. 

Both, of the above assertions cannot be true. 

The New Testament also is filled with contradictions. 
— Interviews on Talmage, page 253. 

If a man would follow to-day the teachings of the Old 
Testament, he would be a criminal. If he would follow 
strictly the teachings of the New , he would be insane. — 
Interviews on Talmage, page 134, 

And here I take occasion to say that with most of the 
teachings of the gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke I most 
heartily agree. — The Christian Religion, page 13. 

" The New Testament is worse than the Old," 
"is filled with contradictions," to "follow 
strictly its teachings" wonld make one "in- 
sane," and yet " with ihemost of the teachings 
of the Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke," 
he says, " I most heartily agree!" 

If a man "would follow strictly the teach- 
ings" of Ingersoll, or attempt to reconcile his 
"contradictions," would he not become "in- 
sane \ ' ' 



XLI. 

Number of Creatures in the Ark. 

INGERSOLL. 

After enumerating the number of species of 
birds and beasts now known, Ingersoll esti- 
mates that there were in the ark : 



144 INGERSOLL ANSWERED 

175,000 birds, 3,616 beasts, 1,800 reptiles, and 2,000,000 
insects, saying nothing of countless animalculaa. — Some 
Mistakes of Moses, page 150. 

1. In the above Ingersoll assumes that the 
flood was universal ; he also assumes that the 
above number of birds, beasts, reptiles and in- 
sects must have entered the ark. Admit both for 
a moment. In assuming these two ,things, he 
admits (1) that all these varieties of creatures 
existed at the time of the flood just as they 
exist now, and (2) that there has been no in- 
crease in the number of species since, both of 
which are contrary to his pet theory of evolu- 
tion. 

Darwin maintains the variability of species, and adduces 
much evidence to show that variation is continually taking 
place, in consequence of the external conditions to which 
plants and animals are subjected. * * He supposes new 
variations to be continually raking place, but the greater 
number of these speedily become extinvt ; whilst others 
becoming perpetuated and perhaps causing the extinction 
of the original forms, until some of them have so widely 
diverged, that all traces of their common origin are lost. — 
Chambers' Encyclopaedia. 

Judging from the past, we may safely infer that not one 
living species will transmit its unaltered likeness to a dis- 
tant futurity. And of the species now living very few will 
transmit progeny of any kind to a far distant futurity ; for 
the manner in which all organic beings are grouped, shows 
that the greater number of species in each genus, and all 
the species in many genera, have left no descendants, but 
have become utterly extinct. — Darwin, Origin of Species, 
page 428. 

Evolution being true, the animals which en- 



FROM THE BIBLE. 145 

tered the ark may have been very different 
from the animals now in existence, and certain- 
ly the varieties must have been less in 
number, which Ingersoll should have learned 
from his Darwinian bible. 

2. As the object of the flood was to sweep man 
from the face of the earth on account of his wick- 
edness, some excellent scholars contend that the 
flood was local, confined to the region then in- 
habited. Thedesiredend could have been ac- 
complished without a universal flood. In this 
case a large ship would not have been necessary 
to contain a pair of each creature from that 
locality. 

3. To admit that all the creatures entered, 
which Ingersoll affirms must have entered, re- 
quires no more "faith" than to believe his own 
theories. 

Really the ark was no small ship, and we 

" think it quite possible room enough could 

have been found within for all the creatures 

lie enumerates, and had a small stateroom left 

for the modern ajjostle of Infidelity. 

BIBLE. 

And God said unto Noah, * * * Make thee an ark of 
gopher wood : rooms shalt thou make in the ark, and 
shalt pitch it within and without with pitch. And this is 
the fashion which thou shalt make it of : the length of the 
ark shall be three hundred cubits, and the breadth of it 
fifty cubits, and the height of it thirty cubits. A window 
shalt thou make to the ark, and in a cubit shalt thou finish 
19 



146 INGERSOLL ANSWERED 

it above ; and t he door of the ark shalt thou set in the side 
thereof : with lower, second and third stories shalt thou 
make it. — Gen. vi., 13-16. 

C. Jansen of 'dolland, in 1609 proved by actual experi- 
ment that a ship constructed after the pattern of the ark, 
though not adapted to sailing, would in reality carry a car- 
go greater by one third than any other form of like cubical 
content. — The Pulpit Commentary. 

There is some doubt as to the kind of cubit here allud- 
ed to, whether it was the common cubit of eighteen inches 
or the sacred cubit of about three inches longer. By tak- 
ing the shorter of the two, it is capable of demonstration 
that it must have been of the burden of 43,413 tons. Now 
a first-rate man-of-war is between 2,200 and 2,300 tons; the 
ark consequently possessed a capacity of storage equal that 
of eighteen ships of the line of the largest class, which up- 
on a very moderate computation are capable of carrying 
20,000 men with stores and provisions for six months' con- 
sumption, besides 1,800 pieces of cannon. As all the vari- 
ous distinct species of four-footed animals may be reduced 
to two hundred or two hundred and fif ty, it cannot for a 
moment be doubtful that the ark would contain the speci 
tied proportion of these, of birds, insects and eight human 
beings, with the requisite supplies of food for a year. — 
Bush's Notes. 



XLII. 
P. 

Pigeons. 

IMGERSOLL. 

So we find that when the Jews were upon the desert it 
was commanded that every mother should bring as a sin 
offering a couple of doves to the priests, and the priests 
were compelled to eat these doves in the most holy place- 



FROM THE BIBLE. 147 

At the time this law appears to have been given there were 
three million people, and only three priests — Aaron, 
Eieazar and I hamar. Among three million people there 
w r ould be at least three hundred births a day. Certainly 
we are not expected to believe that these three priests de- 
voured six hundred pigeons every twenty four hours. — 
Some Mistakes of Moses, page 229. 

u So we find" that the above statement is 
untrue. 

1. ISTo mother was ever commanded to bring 
"as a sin offering, a couple of doves," as one 
of the doves was to be brought as a burnt 
offering and burnt up, instead of being eaten. 
(Lev. i., 14, 17.) And this was nut to be 
brought unless the woman was too poor to 
bring a lamb. (Lev. i., 1*2, 18.) Here goes one 
half of Ingersoll's pigeons at the lirst breath 
of truth. 

2. There is nothing in the Pentateuch to 
show that the priests were required to eat their 
portion of the sin offerings the same day, or 
any more of it than they needed. Here, then, 
goes the rest of the pigeons, leaving Ingersoll 
to account to Gfod for misrepresenting Bible 
facts. 

3. Ingersoll represents that the priests were 
the only persons who were to eat of the portion 
of these offerings assigned them, when the 
record shows that all their sons, and often 
their daughters and servants (bought with the 
priest's money) were also to eat them. (See 



148 INGERSOLL ANSWERED 

Lev. vi., 18-29 ; vn., 6 ; x., 14 ; xi., 15 ; xxn., 
11-13; Numbers xviii., 9, 10.) 

4. Ingersoll cannot show that there were 
" three million people" on the desert at the 
time referred to. We demand the proof. 

5. He does not show that a woman ever 
brought doves to the priests u on the desert," 
and, according to Rabbi Wise, (Mistakes of 
Ingersoll, page 58) : 

iC The Mosaic sacrificial polity was not intro- 
duced till Joshua had taken the Land of 
Canaan " 



XLIII. 

Plagues. 

ingersoll. 



The Lord then directed Moses to go to Pharaoh and tell 
him that if he did not allow the children of Israel to de- 
part, he would destroy his cattle, his horses, his camels 
and his sheep ; that these animals would be afflicted with a 
grievous disease, but that the animals belonging to the 
Hebrews should not be so afflicted. Moses did as he was 
bid. On the next day all the cattle of Egypt died ; that is 
to say. all the horses, all the asses, all the camels, all the 
oxen and all the sheep ; but of the animals owned by the 
Israelites not one perished. * * * The Lord then told 
Moses and Aaron to take some ashes out of a furnace, and 
told Moses to sprinkle them toward the heavens in the 
sight of Pharaoh ; saying that the ashe s should become 
small dust in all the land of Egypt, and should be a boil, 
breaking forth with blains upon man and upon beast 



FROM THE BIBLE. 149 

throughout all the Jand. How these boils breaking out 
with blains, upon cattle that were already dead, should 
affect Pharaoh, is a little hard to understand. It must not 
be forgotten that all the cattle and all the beasts had died 
with the rnuraiu before the boils had broken out. * * * 
The Lord then instructed Moses to get up early in the 
morning and tell Pharaoh that he would stretch out his 
hand and smite his people with a pestilence and would on 
the morrow cause it to rain a very grievous hail, such as 
had never been known in the land of Egypt. He also told 
Moses to give notice, so that they might get all the cattle 
that were in the fields under cover. It must be remem- 
bered that ail these cattle had recently died of the murain, 
and their dead bodies had been covered with boils and 
blains. * * * When it was told Pharaoh that the 
people had fled, he made ready and took six hundred 
chosen chariots of Egypt and pursued after the children of 
Israel, overtaking them by the sea. As all the animals had 
long before that time been destroyed, we are not informed 
where Pharaoh obtained the horses for his chariots. — Some 
Mistakes of Moses, pages 199-212. 

BIBLE. 

Behold the land of the Lord is upon thy cattle which is 
in the field, upon the horses, upon the asses, upon the 
camels, upon the oxen, and upon the sheep, * * * and 
tnere shall nothing die of all that is the children's of Israel, 
* * * and all the cattle of Egypt died ; but of the cattle 
of the children of Israel died not one. — Exodus ix., 8-6. 

But the Egyptians pursued after them, all the horses and 
chariots of Pharaoh and his horsemen and his army, and 
overtook them encamping by the sea. — Exodus xiv., 9. 

1, The expression "All the cattle of Egypt 
died" means simply that all the cattle that 
did die belonged to the Egyptians, since in the 
same verse we read " but of the cattle of the 



150 INGERSOLL ANSWERED 

children of Israel died not one." God prom- 
ised to and did protect the cattle of the Israel- 
ites. 

2. The threat did not even include all the 
Egyptian cattle. The plague should come 
"upon thy cattle which is in the field" not 
including the cattle which might be under 
cover. All the cattle of the Egyptians that 
died were "in the field" 

3. The Bible does not state that all the horses 
of Egypt died, but " all the cattle of Egypt 
died.' 1 Some of the horses may have died, 
"But all the horses and chariots of Pharaoh 
and his horsemen and his army" could not 
have been in the field. As Pharaoh kept a 
standing army his war horses at such an excit- 
ing time would not be likely to be either at 
work or grazing "in the field." 

4. We do not read that any of "the horses 
of Egypt died.''' The "cattle" died of mur- 
rain, which is not generally understood to be 
a horse disease. 



XLIV. 

Polygamy. 

INGERSOLL. 



The Old Testament upholds polygamy.— Interviews on 
Talmage, page 245. 
But the believer in the inspiration of the Bible is com- 



FROM THE BIBLE. 151 

pelled to * * insist that there was a time when polyg- 
amy was the highest form of virtue. * * Once they 
(slavery and polygamy) w-re commanded by God himself. 
Now they are prohibited. — The Christian Religion, page 6. 
According to tne old (Testament) * * a polygamist 
was a model of virtue. — Orthodoxy, page 20. 

BIBLE. 

Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother 
and shall cleave unto his wife (not wives) and they shall be 
one flesh. — Gen. ii., 24. 

Monogamy not Polygamy c was the highest 
form of virtue." This was the original law. 
God set his seal upon no other. 

After the fall Polygamy was permitted, but 
it was not the ideal of marriage. The Old Test- 
ament neither "upholds " nor " commands " 
Polygamy. Monogamy was the ideal and was 
ultimately, when Christ came, enforced again 
as law. Even then it was in advance of pub- 
lic sentiment and teaching, and that law to- 
day is in advance of heathen sentiment 
and teaching. Wherever The Bible goes 
polygamy diminishes. Polygamy prevailed 
among the nations surrounding the Jews. 
It is the intermediate state between pro- 
miscuity and monogamy. 

In every case where there was more than 
one wife, there was, as there ought to have 
been, trouble in the family. Moses guarded 
against the evils of polygamy as a step 
towards its annihilation. His law said, ' ' Thou 



152 INGERSOLL ANSWERED 

shalt not commit adultery," and death by ston- 
ing was the penalty for those who violated it. 
The Hebrew women when compared with the 
women around them were as lt white as snow/' 
In Rome and many other ancient heathen na- 
tions the lives of wife and child were at the 
mercy of husband and master. Under Moses' 
law they were protected. 

The honor of wives and the mo lesty of daughters were 
protected in Judea. The women of Egypt, Chaldea, Per- 
sia, Greece, etc.. had the liberty to marry their uncles, 
brothers, fathers, and even mothers were free to marry 
their own sons. How cruel of Moses to forbid these liber- 
ties to the women of Judea ! Pagan women had the liber- 
ty to sacrifice their virtue at the lewd altars of Venus and 
Cybele. A description of the wickedness and impuiity the 
worship of these heathens involved can be read by no vir- 
tuous Christian without a shudder. — Notes on Ingersoll by 
Rev. L. A. Lambert, page 110. 

Jesus enforced the original law of Monog- 
amy. 

The Pharisees also came unto him, tempting him, and 
saying unto him is it lawful for a man to put away his 
wife for every cause ? Aud he answered and said unto 
them, have ye not read that he which made them at the 
beginning, made them mule and female, and said, for this 
cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave 
to his wife : and they twain shall be one flesh? Wherefore 
they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore 
God hath joined together, let not man put asunder. They 
say unto him, why did Moses then command to give a 
writing of divorcement, and to put her away? He saith 
unto them, Moses, because of the hardness of your hearts, 
suffered you to put away your wives : but from the begin- 
ning it was not so — Matt, xix., 3-8. 



FROM THE BIBLE. 153 

Where did Mr. Ingersoll get his idea of 
monogamy if not from the Bible? Without 
this book he could not enjoy his own fireside. 
His beautiful sentiments in reference to the 
family relations he borrowed from Christianity, 
not from the religion of heathen lands. He 
acts like a rude pupil who flogs his teacher 
after he has gained all the useful information 
from him possible. 

He is like a man who complains of the sun, 
and will not look at it, and yet does his work 
in the light of the sun he despises. Infidels 
hate the Bible, but they love to live and work 
where its sacred light is shining. 

INGERSOLL AGAINST HIMSELF. 

The believer in the inspiration of the Bible is compelled 
* * * to insist that there was a time when poly ganiy was 
the highest form of virtue * * once * * right * * 
once commanded by God himself. — The Christian Religion, 
page 6. 

In the moral code * * * not one word is found on the 
subject of polygamy. — Ibid, page 57. 

How could polygamy have been " command- 
ed by God himself" when the "moral code" 
contains u not one word on the subject?" 

20 



154 INGERSOLL ANSWERED 

XLV. 

Probation. 
ingersoll. 

Why should this be a period of probation? It says in 
tLie Bible, I believe, "Now is the accepted time." When 
does that mean ? That means whenever the passage is pro- 
nounced : ''Now is the accopted time." It will be the 
same to-morrow, will it not ? And just as appropriate then 
as to-day, and if appropriate at any time, appropriate 
through all eternity. — Orthodoxy, page 44. 

Suppose Ingersoll was offered the Presidency 
of the United States and told : "ISTow is the 
accepted time." Would he respond : " It will 
be the same to-morrow, will it not ? and just as 
appropriate then as to-day, and if appropriate 
at any time, appropriate though ail eternity % " 

BIBLE. 

And it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this 
the judgment. — Hebrews ix., 27. 



XLVI. 

Promises. 
ingersoll, 

He (God) knew that he had taught the Jewish people but 
little of importance. He knew that he found them free 
and left them captives. He knew that he had never ful- 
filled the promises made to them. He knew that while 
other nations had advanced in art and science, his chosen 
people were savage still. He promised them the world and 



PROM THE BIBLE. 155 

gave them a desert. He promised them liberty, and he 
made them slaves. He promised them victory, and he gave 
them defeat. He said they should be kings, and he made 
them serfs. He promised them universal empire, and gave 
them exile. When one finishes the Old Testament, he is 
compelled to say : Nothing can add to the misery of a na- 
tion whose king is Jehovah !— 7%e Christian Religion, page 
61. 

Many of the promises made were conditional, 
depending upon their obedience. Every un- 
conditional promise God ever made to the Jews, 
or any other people, he fulfilled. Instead of 
finding the Jewish people free and leaving 
them captives, he found them captives under 
the dominion of that noted free thinker, 
Pharaoh, and led them oat irom under his gall- 
ing yoke to the land of freedom. He promised 
them the land of Canaan and gave it to them. 
He promised them victory, and always when 
they obeyed, they came off conquerors. 

Their "desert" life was the result of their 
disobedience. 

IMGERSOLL. 

God made a great number of promises to Abraham, but 
few of them were ever kept. He agreed to make him the 
father of a great nation but he did not. — Some Mistakes of 
Moses, page 183. 

BIBLE. 

And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless 
thee and make thy name great. — Gen. xii., 2. 

Even in the " desert," according to Ingersoll, 
the descendants of Abraham numbered " three 



156 INGERSOLL ANSWERED 

million," which would make him the "father 
of a great nation" before entering Canaan. 
After their entrance, they were indeed " a great 
nation" compared with the surrounding na- 
tions. 

INGERSOLL. 

He (God) solemnly promised to give him (Abraham) a great 
country including all the land between the river of Egypt 
and the Euphrates, but he did not. — Some Mistakes of 
Moses, page 183. 

BIBLE. 

Unto thy seed have I given this land from the river of 
Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates. — Gen. xv., 
18." 

God fulfilled this promise. See II. Chron., 
ix., 26. By the "river of Egypt," is meant 
not the Nile but the river called Sihor, which 
was before or on the border of Egypt near to 
thp isthmus of Suez. See Joshua xiii., 3. 

INGERSOLL. 

It seems, however, that God was not willing to take the 
children of Israel into the promised land immediately. 
They were not fit to inhabit the land of Canaan : so he 
ma le up his mind to allow them to wander upon the desert 
until all except two, who had left Egypt, should perish. Of 
all the slaves released from Egyptian bondage, only two 
were allowed to reach the promised land. — Some Mistakes 
of Moses, page 214. 

BIBLE. 

So we see that they could not enter in because of unbe- 
lief.— Heb. iii.,19. 

God led the Israelites directly across the 
desert to the borders of Canaan, but they dis- 



FROM THE BIBLE. 157 

trusted the Lord and murmured, and as a pun- 
ishment wandered in the wilderness. (See Num- 
bers, xiv., 11-29, in the Prayer of Moses.) 



XLVIL 

Prophecy Concerning Christ. 

INGERSOLfj. 

There is no prophecy in the Old Testament foretelling 
the coming of Jesus Christ. There is not one word in the 
Old Testament referring to him in any way — not one word. 
The only way to prove this is to take your Bible, and where- 
ever you find these words: "That it might be fulfilled," 
and " which was spoken," turn to the Old Testament and 
find what was written, and you will see that it had not the 
slightest possible reference to the thing recounted in the 
New Testament — not the slightest. — Interviews on Talmage, 
page 277. 

The Bible foretold the tribe from which 
Christ should come. 

BIBLE. 

Tne sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver 
from between his feet, until Shiloh come ; and unto him 
shall the gathering of the people be. — Gen. xlix., 10. 

His coming and his divinity are foretold in 
the following very plain language : 

For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given : and 
the government shall be upon his shoulder : and his name 
shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, 
The Everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. — Isa. ix., 6. 

The prophets often speak of future events as 
transpiring in the present. 



158 INGERSOLL ANSWERED 

Christ was to be the " mighty to save." (See 
Isa lxiii., 1.). 

He was to be called "The Lord Our Right- 
eousness. (See Jeremiah xxiii., 6.) 

Christ's birth-place arid divinity are clearly 
indicated in the following language. 

But thou Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among 
the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth 
unto me that is to be a ruler in Israel, whose goings forth 
have been from of old, from everlasting. — Micah v., 2. 

It was foretold that Christ should be born of 
a virgin and called "Immanuel." (See Isa. 
Vii., 14.) 

The word Immanuel means God with us ; 
teaching clearly Christ's divinity. A messen- 
ger was to go before him. (See Mai. ill., 1.) 

He was to be worshipped by the wise men. 
(See Psa. lxxil, 10, and Isa. lx., 3.) 

It was foretold that he should ride triumph- 
antly into Jerusalem. (See Zech. ix., 9.) 

That he should be sold for thirty pieces of 
silver. (See Zech. xi., 12.) 

That his disciples should forsake him. (See 
Zech. xiii., 7.) 

That he should not plead upon his trial. 
(See Isa. liii., 7-9.) 

That he should be scourged. (See Isa. L., 6.) 

That he should be wounded for us. (See Isa. 
liii., 5.) 

Many other passages from the Old Testament 
referring to Christ might be given ; but enough 



FROM THE BIBLE. 159 

have been cited to show that the statement, 
"There is not one word in the Old Testament 
referring to Christ in any way — not one word," 
is untrue. 

"Take yonr Bible, and wherever you find 
these words, 'That it might be fulfilled,' and 
'which was spoken,' turn to the Old Testa- 
ment and find what was written, and you will 
see that it had" unmistakable reference to 
Christ. 

The fulfillment of prophecy is an unanswer- 
able argument in favor of the Inspiration of 
the Bible. How could one foretell events cen- 
turies before they transpired unless he were in 
communion with an infinite mind? 

Some of the prophecies were uttered thou- 
sands of years before Christ, and the last one 
was delivered nearly four hundred years prior 
to his advent. Many of the prophets lived in 
different ages, and foretold the same things. 
Many living in the same age and in differ- 
ent localities, without communication, under 
he guidance of the Holy Ghost, pointed 
with prophetic pens, as flaming indices to 
the same coming events. It required centuries 
to write the Old Testament, and the man who 
wrote the last book had no communication 
with the man who wrote the first. How did 
these men, writing independently, foreshadow 
the com ins of the world's Redeemer? 



160 INGERSOLL ANSWERED 

The book of Old Testament prophecy was 
closed ; time passed with no prospect of the 
fulfillment of the prophecies concerning the 
Messiah till fonr hundred years had rolled 
away. At length there was heard the voice of 
one crying in the wilderness, " Prepare ye the 
way of the Lord," (Matt, in., 3.) In a few 
years Jesus of Nazareth is preaching his won- 
derful doctrines to astonished multitudes. He 
fulfilled every prophecy concerning himself, 
proving himself to be the Prince of Humanity 
and the Saviour of the world. 

Let Infidels foretell what will transpire one 
thousand, yes, one hundred years hence. Let 
them predict the rise and fall of empires, prov- 
ing their doctrines by the gift of prophecy, and 
we may have confidence in their system. 

Before the wonderful prophecies concerning 
Christ, and their fulfillment, infidelity must 
be dumb. Before the prophecies concerning 
the utter ruin and desolation of cities, the de- 
scription of the people who should afterward 
inhabit them, and the literal fulfillment of 
these prophecies as shown not only by Chris- 
tian bnt also by infidel historians, infidelity 
must also be silent. 

These are some of the grandest proofs of the 
inspiration of the sacred record. Did Bud- 
dha, or Confucius, or Mohammed, orBrigham 
Young, foretell events that should happen cen- 



FROM THE BIBLE. 161 

turies after their demise % The prophets of the 
bible did, demonstrating that they must have 
been in communication with some being poss- 
essed of supernatural foresight, and that being 
we call God. He says : 

I am. God, and there is none else ; I am God, and there is 
none like nie. Declaring the end from the beginning, and 
from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, 
My counsel shall stand and I will do all my pleasure. 

And is not the following challenge of the Al- 
mighty to unbelievers still valid : 

Produce your cause, saith the Lord ; bring forth your 
strong reasons, saith the King of Jacob. Let them bring 
them forth and show us what shall happen : let them show 
the former things, what they be, that we may consider 
them, and know the latter end of them ; or declare us 
things for to come. Show the things that are to come 
hareafter, that *ve may know that ye are Gods, yea, do 
good, or do evil, that we may be dismayed, and behold it 
together.— Isa. xli., 21-23. 

Did any Atheist of any age ever accept the 
challenge ? Christianity, not Infidelity, has met 
the test. 

BUT THE WORD OF THE LORD ENDURETH FOREVER. — I Peter 
1., 25. 



XLVIIL 
R. 

Reasoning. 



INGERSOLL. 

Within the Old Testament there is no such thing as re- 
ligious toleration. Within that volume can be found no 

21 



162 INGERSOLL ANSWERED 

mercy for an unbeliever. For all who think for themselves 
there are threatenings, curses and anathemas. Think 
of an infinite being who is so cruel, so unjust, tl.at he will 
not allow one of his own children the liberty of thought ! 
— The Christian Religion, page 52. 

BIBLE. 

Come now and let us reason together saith the Lord ; 
though your sins be as scarlet they shall be as white as 
snow, though they be red like crimson they shall be as 
wool. — Isa. i., 18. 

Here the Lord invites the people to reason 
with him. See also Eccl. vn., 25 ; I Sam. xn., 
7, etc. 

Men who nse their "liberty of thought" legit- 
imately will be led to believe the Sacred Rec- 
ord. 

The celebrated Gilbert West and his friend, 
Lord Lyttleton, determined to expose the cheat 
of the Bible. Mr. West chose the Resurrec- 
tion of Christ, and Lord Lyttleton the conver- 
sion of St. Paul, for their respective attacks. 
They commenced their work full of prejudice 
and contempt for Christianity. They sought 
to show that the Bible was filled with oriental 
superstitions, and they would seek to liberate 
the people from their fearful delusions. They 
went to w^ork earnestly, diligently examining 
facts and testimony. The more they examined 
the more their doubts gave away. After 
months of labor each surprised the other by 
confessing that what they concluded before in- 



FROM THE BIBLE. 163 

vestigation was false, they had proved to be a 
reality. Such was the result of "honest in- 
vestigation." They then commenced to write 
in defense of the truth they had designed to 
overthrow, and as the result, we have the mas- 
terpieces, "Lyttleton's Conversion of Paul," 
and " West's Demonstration of the Resurrec- 
tion of Christ." 

Search the scriptures.— John v., 39. 

"Within the Old Testament * * * no 
mercy for an unbeliever." 

Whoso forsaketh his sins shall have mercy. — Prov. xxviii, 
13. 

But thou art a God ready to pardon, gracious and nierci- 
ful—Neh. ix., 17. 

See also Isa. lv., 7, previously quoted, etc. 



XLIX. * 
Religion and Morality. 
i\(;krsoil. 

Religion and morality have nothing in common, and yet 
there is no religion except the practice of morality. But 
what you call religion is simply superstition. Religion, as 
it is now taught, teaches our duties toward God — our obli- 
gations to the infinite, and the results of a failure to dis- 
charge those obligations. I believe that we are under no 
obligations to the infinite ; that we cannot be. All our 
obligations are to each other and to sentient beings. <; Be- 
lieve in the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved " has 
nothing to do with morality. " Do unto others as.ye would 
that others should do unto vou " has nothing to do with 



164 INGERSOLL ANSWERED 

believing in the Lord Jesus Christ. — Ingersoll Catechised, 
page 6. 

Without a moral law, how are we to decide 
in Avhat "morality" consists? 

" There is no religion except the practice of 
morality?" Morality is one of the plants of 
revealed religion. Without the Gospel men 
would not even be moral. Every true Chris- 
tian will be moral in the highest sense of the 
term, but it is not true that every moral per- 
son is a true Christian. Morality is commend- 
able, but man needs something more, the 
sanctifying grace of God. " Ye must be born 
again." If "there is no religion except the 
practice of morality," what is a poor wretch 
to do that has no "morality" to "practice?" 
See that filthy sot, with bleared eyes and sunk- 
en cheeks, lying in the gutter. His family 
at home are hungry, his children are in tatters, 
and the windows stuffed with rags. His brain 
is crazed, his body a wreck. He goes home 
only to abuse his neglected family. He cannot 
pass a saloon without feeling an irresistible 
longing to enter, and there stands the living 
demon behind the bar to entice his victim so 
long as he has a dime left. He thirsts for rum, 
he mnst have rum, and into the breathing hole 
of hell he goes for another drink and out once 
more into the gutter. Look again. That 
drunkard is sober. No horrid oaths escape 



FROM THE BIBLE. 165 

his lips, his head is clear, his clothes whole. 
He is at home evenings, surrounded by his 
happy family. Rags have disappeared from 
the windows ; the wife and little ones are well 
fed and clothed, and happiness reigns around 
the lireside. What wrought the change \ In- 
gersollismf Never. He "believed on the 
Lord Jesus Christ." What help or hope does 
Infidelity offer to the poor inebriate, or to any 
of earth's fallen ones % We can bring men by 
platoons who were specimens of anything but 
"morality," but who by "believing" in 
"Jesus Christ" have become "moral." Re- 
vealed Religion alone discovers one who is 
"mighty to save." 

Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the 
kingdom of God ? Be not deceived : neither fornicators, 
nor idolators, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of 
themselves with mankind, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor 
drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the 
kingdom of God. And such were some of you : but ye are 
washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the 
name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God. — 1 
Cor. vi. , 9, 10, 11. 

This is a black list of vile characters, who 
were elevated not by their "morality," since 
they had none, but "believing" in the "Lord 
Jesus Christ," had much to do with their 
morality. What could Infidelity do for such 
a class \ Its reformatory power is truly a 
"myth." 



166 INGERSOLL ANSWERED 

INGERSOL.L AG.UX§T HIMSELF. 

They say belief is important. I say no. Actions are im- 
portant. — What Must We Do to be Saved, page 82. 

Humanity is the grand religion. * * * Humanity, 
that word embraces all there is. So I believe in the great 
gospel of Humanity. — What Must We Do to be Saved, 
pages 85, 86. 

In the first quotation he affirms that belief is 
not important. In the second, from the same 
ecture, he tells us what is his belief. How 
consistent. 

Again : 

We have at last found that a religion is simply an effort 
on the part of man, to account for what he sees, what he 
experiences, what he feels, what he fears, and what he 
hopes. — Ingersoll Catechised, page 11. 

And is this "effort" all there is of the 
" Grand Religion of Humanity ? " 

Every religion has for its foundation a miracle, that is to 
say, a violation of Nature ; that is to say, a falsehood. — 
The Gods, page 50. 

Is the "foundation" of Free Religion a 
"falsehood?" We think so. No sensible 
Christian claims that a "miracle" is a "vio- 
lation of nature." It is something above, and 
controlling, nature. 

Above all creeds, above all religions, after all, is that 
divine thing— Humanity. — The Ghosts, page 100. 

Did this infidel forget himself for once long 
enough to believe in something "divine I" 



FROM THE BIBLE. 167 

L. 

Resurrection of Cheist. 

ingersoll. 

The miracle of the resurrection I do not and cannot be- 
lieve. If it was the fact, if the dead Christ rose from the 
grave, why did he not appear to his enemies? Why did 
he not visit Pontius Pilate ? Why did he not call upon 
Caiaphas, the high priest? upon Herod? Why did he not 
again enter the temple and end the old dispute with de- 
monstration ? Why did he not confront the Roman soldiers 
who had taken money to falsely swear that his body had 
been stolen by his friends ? Why did he not make another 
triumphal entry into Jerusalem ? Why did he not say to 
the multitude : " Here are the wounds in my feet, and in 
my hands, and in my side. 1 am the one you endeavored 
to kill, but Death is my slave?" Simply because the res- 
urrection is a myth. — Orthodoxy, page 33. 

Asking questions is not argument. Had it 
been recorded that Christ appeared only to his 
''enemies," Ingersoll would have inquired, 
' ' W hy did he not appear to his friends to whom 
he had stated he would rise from the dead \ " 
There is nothing in the record showing that 
Christ did not appear to his enemies. Had. he 
"visited Pilate," and "called" upon "Herod," 
had he made "another triumphal entry into 
Jerusalem," and had it been recorded by all 
the Evangelists, Ingersoll would have said, 
"there can be only one true account of any- 
thing," or " even if the manuscripts all agreed 
it would not furnish the slightest evidence of 
their truth," or we "don't know who made 



168 INGERSOLL ANSWERED 

the record," or if we do ""know" we will not 
credit the "story." Aye, he might have af- 
firmed Christ never saw Jerusalem, much less 
ever entered the city. 

No fact is more clearly established thau the 
resurrection of the Son of God. He repeatedly 
asserted that after three days he would rise 
again. See Matthew xvn , 22, See also Matt. 
xx., 19; Mark vni., 31, x., 34; Luke ix., 22, 
xviii., 33, John n., 19, etc. Christ appeared 
to Saul of Tarsus after his resurrection in such 
a powerful manner as to fell him to the earth. 
(Acts ix., 3-6). Saul was not a Christian at 
this time, but one of the most bitter persecu- 
tors of Christ (Acts ix., 1). Jesus, then, ap- 
peared to one of his sworn "enemies," and to 
how many more we do not know. After his 
conversion, Saul (now Paul) testifies to the 
resurrection of Jesus. 

And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third 
day according to the scriptures : And that he was seen of 
Cephas, then of the twelve : After that he was seen of 
above rive hundred brethren at once ; of whom the greater 
part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep. 
After that, he was seen of James; then of all the apostles. 
And last of all he was seen of me also, as of one born out 
of due time. — 1 Cor. xv., 4r-8. 

Paul had nearly five hundred witnesses on 
hand at this writing who had seen Jesus after 
his resurrection, else he would not have hazard- 
ed his life at that perilous time by preaching 
a risen Jesus. 



FROM THE BIBLE. 169 

One of three things must be true in reference 
to the resurrection of Christ. Either the dis- 
ciples were (1) deceivers, or (2) deceived, or (3) 
Christ rose from the dead. 

(1) They were not deceivers. They were 
honest men whose characters were never im- 
peached. When Jesus was arrested "they all 
forsook him and fled." (Markxiv., 50). 

They did not go and watch the sepulchre ; 
they did not steal the body. They could have 
no motive for such an act. By it they could 
gain nothing, either in wealth, influence or po- 
sition. Could a few timid disciples, who had 
no soldiers by which to remove the stones, 
hope to overpower a guard of sixty Roman 
soldiers, and steal the body of their Lord? The 
" story" that the disciples stole the body does 
not harmonize with itself. The body is miss- 
ing and the Jews quickly made up the lie in 
order to deceive the public. It bears up>on its 
face its own refutation. 

Some of the watch came into the city, and showed unto 
the chief priests all the things that were done. And when 
they were assembled with the elders, and had taken coun- 
sel, they gave large money unto the soldiers, saying, say 
ye his disciples came by night, and stole him away while 
we slept. — Matthew xxviii., 11-15. 

If the soldiers were asleep they could not 
know what was transpiring around them ; if 
they could, they certainly knew when the dis- 
ciples came to take the body and would either 

22 



170 INGERSOLL ANSWERED 

have roused up and prevented its being stolen, 
or tracked the disciples to see where they con- 
cealed it. Whnn the disciples were arraigned 
for preaching "He is risen," "why" did not 
the Jews produce some evidence to establish 
their "story?" "Why" did they not with 
their military force capture the stolen body, 
exhibit it to the multitude, and thus "end the 
old dispute?" "Why" is this falsehood 
never brought into any tribunal before which 
the disciples were tried for preaching a risen 
Jesus? 

Again it was certain death to a Roman sol- 
dier to be found sleeping at his post. Would 
sixty men risk their lives by sleeping on guard \ 
The truth is, they were hired to tell this lie by 
the elders of the Jewish church, under promise 
that if the story reached the governor 1 s ears 
they would do their best to shield them from 
the penalty of the Roman law. (Matthew 
xxviii., 14). 

The disciples were not deceivers. Their own 
doctrine would send them to eternal damna- 
tion for such lying and hypocrisy. 

(2.) They were not deceived. 

This thing was was not done in a corner. 
Christ had been sacrificed publicly at one of 
the great Jewish festivals. A strong guard 
had openly been stationed at the tomb. If 
Peter and John had been stealing the body, 



PROM THE BIBLE. 171 

" why" should they go in the morning to the 
empty sepulchre, and expose themselves by 
putting in such an early appearance? 

The disciples had been familiar with him for 
three years. He had been their constant com- 
panion ; they knew his countenance, his man- 
ner, his voice. 

Was this being, who claimed to be the resur- 
rected Christ, the same Jesus who had been 
with them before Christ's death, who had 
taught them on the Mount of Olives, who had 
stilled the tempest, who had journeyed with 
them, and wrought so many miracles before 
their astonished vision % Ask the disciples, 
assembled in a little room with closed doors, 
who it is that appears among them saying, 
" Peace be unto you ?" (Luke xxiv., 36.) 

Is it a spirit \ No. Hear Jesus say : 

Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself : han- 
dle me, and see ; for a spirit hath not neish and bones, as ye 
see me have. — Luke xxiv., 39. 

Doubting Thomas said : 

Except I shall see in his hands the print of the nails, and 
put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my 
hand into his side, I will not believe. And after eight days 
again his disciples were within, and Thomas with them : 
then came Jesus, the doors being shut, and stood in the 
midst, and said, Peace be unto you. Then saith he to 
Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands ; 
and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side ; and 
be not faithless but believing. — John xx., 25-27. 

Was Thomas, with all his precaution, de- 



172 INGERSOLL ANSWERED 

luded ? If the disciples were deceived, who 
deceived them? It was not Jesus, according 
to Ingersoll, who calls " the resurrection a 
myth." To suppose that an "enemy" of 
Christ would personate a risen Saviour is ab- 
surd, as his enemies were trying to show that 
he had not risen. Besides such a one would 
expose himself to the severest persecution for 
such procedure. 

Again, had an enemy personated the risen 
Lord and deluded the disciples, he would 
assuredly have revealed the whole imposition 
afterwards in order to overthrow Christianity. 
The disciples would certainly not attempt to 
deceive themselves in this matter. No one, 
friend or foe, would try such personation at 
the hazard of life. 

(3.) Jesus rose from the dead. There can be 
no other rational conclusion. 

The descent of the Holy Ghost is an unan- 
swerable argument in favor of the resurrection 
of Jesns. Infidels must blot out the day of 
Pentecost, with the immediate results which 
followed, also the early history of the Chris- 
tian church, or admit that kC Christ is risen." 

Jesus said : 

And I will pray the Father and he shall give you another 
Comforter, that he may abide with you forever. — John 
xiv., 16. 

It is expedient for you that I go away, for if I go not 



FROM THE BIBLE. 173 

away the Comforter will not come unto you. but if I depart 
I will send him unto you. — John xvi., 7. 

Jesus could not always remain with his dis- 
ciples in person, lie must finish his work, and 
" ascend up on high, leading captivity cap- 
tive." But he w^ould send his representative, 
the Holy Ghost, clothed with equal authority 
and power, who should remain in the Church 
forever. 

Did the Holy Ghost descend ? Ask the 
throngs who crowded around the upper room. 
Ask the vast multiutde who listened to the 
words of fire as they fell from the lips of 
Peter? Ask the thousands converted under 
the preaching of the word. 

If Christ did not rise from the dead, how 
could he fulfil his promise and send the 4w Com- 
forter?" The descent of the Holy Ghost was 
the grand seal to, the crowning witness of, the 
resurrection of the Son of God. If he did not 
rise, whence the wonderful courage of the dis- 
ciples \ A little before, "they all forsook him 
and fled," many of them returning to their 
vocations. What rallied them ? ; ' Why "are 
the disciples, who a short time since were so 
timid, now so full of courage? What is the se- 
cret of their boldness ? Was it a " myth " that 
summoned them again to the conflict ? No. 
They had seen their risen Lord, and they gave 
incontestible proofs that they believed he had 



174 INGERSOLL ANSWERED 

risen, for they preached it at the risk of im- 
prisonment and death. 

The apostles believed Jesus had risen from 
the dead, for they proclaimed it continually. 

This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are wit- 
nesses. — Peter on the day of Pentecost, Acts ii., 33. 

The number who believed the "myth" and 
were converted on the day of Pentecost was 
"about three thousand ." (Acts it., 41.) 

A little later, while Peter and John were 
preaching a risen Christ (Acts iv., 1-4), live 
thousand more were converted. 

The sun is the grand source of all light in 
our system. Blot it out, and the light of the 
moon and stars disappears, and the world is 
enveloped in darkness. Infidels have done 
their best to overthrow the doctrine of the 
Resurrection of Jesus? "Why?" Because 
if the Sun of Righteousness is extinguished, 
every light of the Church in heaven and on 
earth goes out forever. The heaviest artillery 
of infidels has been for ages playing upon this 
battery, since if this is demolished the founda- 
tion of the Christian Religion is utterly de- 
stroyed, and all the rest of its wonderful doc 
trines go down in the ruins. Establish this 
doctrine, and the whole system of Infidelity is 
blown to atoms. 

Christ did rise from the dead, and thereby 
sealed the truth of his divinity. He declared 



FROM THE BIBLE. 175 

himself to be God ; he would prove it by ris- 
ing from the dead, he rose from the dead, he is 
God, and from the farther side of the grave we 
hear the echo of his grand triumphal song : 

I am he that liveth and was dead, and behold I am alive 
forevermore. — Rev. i., 18. 

Were there no other reason why I would ac- 
cept Christianity in preference to other relig- 
ions it would be this, its great author rose 
from the dead. Did Mohammed rise from the 
dead? Did Confucius rise from the dead? 
Did Brigham Young rise from the dead ? 

During the French Revolution one of the 
five directors, in whose hands the government 
was lodged, asked Tally rand what he thought 
of Theophilanthropism, the name given the 
new religion. "I have but a single observa- 
tion to make," was his reply ; "Jesus Christ, 
to found His religion, suffered himself to be 
crucified, and He rose again. You should try 
and do as much." 

An unanswerable argument in defense of 
Christianity is found in the empty sepulchre of 
the Son of God. 

Pilate wrote a title in three languages and 
put it on the cross to tell the people who it was 
that hung there ; but Jesus by his resurrection 
has published to the world in more legible char- 
acters than Pilate ever wrote that he was the 
"Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the 
Prince of Peace." 



176 INGERSOLL ANSWERED 

If Christ be not risen, then "death ends all," 
there can be no "eternal opening of the golden 
gates of everlasting joy." 

But if there be no resurrection of the dead, then Christ 
is not risen, an 1 if Christ be not risen, then is our preach- 
ing vain an I your faith is also vain. — I Cor. xv., 13-14. 

It is more certain that our resurrection shall 
follow that of Christ than that the harvest will 
succeed the seed time. His sepulchre became 
empty ; so shall ours. He went down into the 
dominion of death and served notice on the 
grim monster that at the trumpet sound he 
must release his grasp upon those imprisoned 
in the tomb. The Chris tian is the only one 
who can die in hope. He can leave the world 
in safety ; he can afford to have his eyes grow 
dim, and the voices of his friends become faint, 
since he is going to a better land, and Christ is 
coming again fcu bring up the sleeping dust 
and place the purified soul in the glorified body. 
The Gospel of Christ is the only guarantee that 
a man dying shall ever live again. 

If Christ did not rise, Christianity is a fable 
and a fiction, and we know not what we are, 
whence we came, or whither we are going. By 
his resurrection he has settled forever the ques- 
tion of a future life. The witnesses of the res- 
urrection of Jesus are not all dead. We do 
not say that Peter and James and John are 
still alive ; but there are living witnesses. Every 
soul converted and sanctified, every true chris- 



FROM THE BIBLE. 177 

tian experience, every wave of divine glory, 
every baptism of the spirit tells ns "He is 
risen." 

Thousands of men and women can be brought 
forward who were being driven before the tem- 
pest of uncontrollable passion, who to-day are 
reformed through faith in a risen Christ. We 
have dying witnesses of his resurrection, and 
here we may bring either the christian or the 
infidel. Yisit the death bed of the true Chris- 
tian, and he testifies to the resurrection of 
Christ. He realizes that Jesus is in the room, 
and the holy smile on his countenance, his words 
of praise and victory, all declare, "Christ is 
risen." Sometimes even after the spirit has 
left the body, we may read of a risen Lord in 
the serene smile that still lingers on the cold 
face of clay. Bring the infidel, and when dy- 
ing he witnesses to the resurrection many 
times by forsaking his infidelity and praying 
to Jesus for help. How can Christ hear the 
prayer of dying Infidels unless he be risen from 
the dead \ 

When Voltaire felt the stroke that he realized must ter- 
minate in death he was overpowered with remorse.* * * His 
infidel flatterers hastened to his chamber to prevent his re- 
cantation, but it was only to witness his ignominy and their 
own. He cursed them to their faces. * * * Hoping to 
allay his anguish by a written recantation, he had it pre- 
pared, signed it and saw it witnessed. But it was all unavail- 
ing. For two months he was tortured with such an agony 
as led him at times to gnash his teeth in impotent rage 
23 



178 INGERSOLL ANSWERED 

against God and man. At other times in plaintive accents 
he would plead, " O Christ ! O Lord Jesus !" Then turn- 
ing his face, he would cry out " I must die — abandoned of 
God and man ! " — Death Bed Testimonies by Rev. E. Davies. 

Did he not by praying to Christ acknowl- 
edge his resurrection % 

And Thomas Paine testifies to the same fact. 

There lies before me a letter written to me by Mrs Mary 
Benjamin, who at the age of eleven years was an eye-wit- 
ness to the death bed agonies of Thomas Paine. She writes 
from Williamsport, Pa., April 25th, 1876 : " I was invited 
by a distant connection * * to go and see T. Paine on his 
death bed. * * The scene to me was appalling, and I wished 
to leave at once. I remember him as he lay, his head near 
and close to the door we entered, his glaring, rolling eyes ; 
uttering imprecations, apparently in an agony of body and 
mind, his screams could be heard at a great distance. As I 
shrank back they slid (there were many there) he called 
on Jesus Christ for mercy and next blasphemed. — The In- 
spiration of the Bible, by H. L, Hastings, page 6. 

Dr. Manley, who was with him during his last hours, in 
a letter to Cheetham in 1809, writes, " He could not be left 
alone night or day. * * * He would call out during his 
paroxysms of distress, without intermission, '• O Lord help 
me ! God help me ! Jesus Christ help me ! O Lord help me ! " 
etc., repeating the same expressions without the least var- 
iation in a tone of voice that would alarm the house * * 
* The doctor asked him if he believed that Jesus Christ is 
the son of God. After a pause of some minutes he replied, 
" I have no wish to believe on that subject." — Death Bed 
Testimonies. 

Among his last words were these, the very 
words of Jesus, who came to seek and to save 
the lost : " My God ! my God ; why hast thou 
forsaken me % ' ' 



FROM THE BIBLE. 



If Jesus did not rise from the dead, 

why did Thomas Paine call upon him for aid \ 

He is not here, for he is risen as he said, come see 

THE PLACE WHERE THE LORD LAY — Matthew XXviii. , 6. 



Right a^d Wrong. 

INGERSOLL. 

Every thing is right that tends to the happiness of man- 
kind, and everything is wrong that increases the sum of 
human misery. * * * Consequences determine the 
quality of an action. If consequences are good, so is the 
action. * * * We know that acts are good or bad only 
as they affect the actors and others. We know that from 
every good act, good consequences flow, and that from 
every bad act there are only evil results. — The Christian 
Religion, pages 76, 77, 78. 

Our wickedness must be ascertained, not from our belief, 
but from our acts. — Some Mistakes of Moses, page 42. 

Judge Black thought he was reasoning with 
"a man who has no acknowledged standard of 
right and wrong." We have discovered Mr. 
Ingersoll's standard in the above quotations, 
which is simply the old infidel criterion re- 
vamped. 

1. According to this standard one must com- 
mit a wrong act ere he can know that it is 
wrong. The rule must be violated before a 
man can know that it exists. One must be 



180 INGERSOLL ANSWERED 

bitten by the serpent before he can realize that 
its fangs will poison. 

2. As that only "is right that tends to the 
happiness of mankind, and everything is 
wrong that increases the sum of human mis- 
ery," a man cannot know during his life time 
whether any line of conduct is right or wrong, 
as the aggregate results cannot be summed up 
until after the course of action terminates. 
Nor even then can it be fully known until all 
the effects for w T eal or woe are seen upon society 
after the actor's death. Paul's writings are 
still producing results. Paine' s books are 
affecting thousands to-day. R. G. IngersolFs 
works w T ill produce their legitimate fruits for 
happiness or misery long after he passes to 
"silence and pathetic dust." As man does 
not exist after death, it follows, according to 
this infidel standard, that a man can never 
know whether he is right or wrong, and the 
standard falls by its own weight. Should man 
live hereafter, it is a fearful rule that allows 
him to rush into eternity on such uncertain- 
ties. 

3. Col. Ingersoll may think he is doing 
"right," and laboring for the "happiness" of 
mankind in spening his energies to unsettle 
the "faith" of the world in the Scriptures^ 
He enjoys himself in w T itty remarks that " tend 
to the hapjriness" of infidels and elicits from 



FROM THE BIBLE. 181 

them roars of laughter. He may succeed in 
undermining the faith of some, and for a sea- 
son ease their consciences under crimes for 
which a Bible conscience would inflict pain. 
But the whole experiment is not finished, and 
this rule of pleasure and pain has not yet met 
its severest ordeal. Suppose, as in many in- 
stances, on nearing death, Ingersoll and his 
disciples find their frequent fears more than 
realized. Suppose they feel as did the 
wretched Altamont, Voltaire, Paine, Hobbs 
and others, and quit earth in awful dread of a 
future hell. Then every book written, every 
lecture against the Bible, is to roll on like im- 
mense waves, poisoning the minds of their own 
kindred and others, until the mighty tide is 
lost in the boundless ocean of eternity. What 
a standard to be measured by in the great 
hereafter ! And not until all the results of the 
actions of the present life, both in time and 
eternity, have been observed, can a man know 
whether he is right or wrong. Mr. Ingersoll 
acknowledges that he does not know that he is 
right. He does not profess " to have fathomed 
the abyss" and demonstrated the fact that 
there is no God, no Heaven, no Hell. Multi- 
tudes profess to know that there is a God, that 
the Bible is true, not only by miracles per- 
formed eighteen centuries ago, but by a mir- 
acle wrought on their own moral nature, com- 



182 INGERSOLL ANSWERED 

pletely reversing the evil tide of their sinful 
hearts. Earnest prayer and faith would fully 
satisfy Mr. Ingersoll of the same thing. Un- 
doubtedly the time has been when he felt it 
duty to pray for Divine help. How dare he 
try to turn the minds of men from a rule of 
right, which brings holiness and happiness to 
man, to the dreadful uncertainties of Infidel- 
ity ? According to Bishop Fallows, in "Mis- 
takes of Ingersoll," page 27, "Paine was also 
for a short time a dissenting minister and 
preached." Verily, " The backslider in heart 
shall be filled with his own ways." 

4. Suppose our laws were made to harmo- 
nize with this infidel standard of morals, and 
Col. Ingersoll has a thorough disciple to this 
theory in his employ whom he places in a 
high position of trust. Gaining the confidence 
of his employer, this man sees that he can 
pocket some of the money unobserved. The 
question arises, is it right % Having no criterion 
but the above infidel standard, he reasons thus : 
"I am a very poor man. Mr. Ingersoll and 
family have many comforts of which I am 
deprived. He makes his money easy ; I work 
hard for mine. He will never miss what is 
taken, and it will certainly ' tend to the happi- 
ness' of myself and family." The prospect of 
" hax)piness" is in favor of the man's stealing ; 
hence, according to Mr. Ingersoll' s standard of 



FROM THE BIBLE. 183 

moral action, it is right tor the employe to do 
it. Would the Colonel like the practical oper- 
ations of his own doctrine \ 

Take another case. Here is an atheist, a 
poor man, with a very large family, for whom 
he labors hard to secure a scanty support. 
Among the number is an old, sick grand- 
mother, confined to her bed, and suffering 
intensely from disease. In the cradle lies a 
deformed child, racked with pain, who prom- 
ises to be nothing but a perpetual care and 
burden as long as it lives. This infidel solilo- 
quizes thus: "But for these invalids, which 
require so much care, food and medicine, we 
could live comfortably. They are of no use to 
themselves, and will never be to any one else. 
Every day they suffer more than death. They 
must die ultimately, and it will ' tend to the 
happiness' of all concerned to put them at 
rest," and thus reasoning, he gives them a 
dose of poison. He has only acted according 
to Mr. Ingersoll's standard of moral action. 
When the most valuable beast breaks a limb, 
we kill it to put it out of its misery, because 
we see no hereafter for beasts. Atheism being 
true, it is the same with man, and hence duty 
to kill the suffering ones and thus end their 
misery. This must bring the most comfort, 
and least pain, so far as man can see, and none 
can see farther, as there is no God ! 



184 INGERSOLL ANSWERED 

Such atheistic reasoning has undoubtedly 
caused many suicides and murders, and it is 
probably this view that leads to the killing of 
the old and enfeebled among the heathen. 

Does Mr. Ingersoll say, conscience would tor- 
ture, and imprisonment might ensue and prove 
to be the cause of more pain than pleasure 
when all is summed up \ That would be true 
so long as we are guided by the Bible, and not 
the infidel standard. An atheistic conscience, 
educated by "consequences," would be very 
different from a christian conscience, obtained 
by "faith" in the Bible. 

The infidel rule of right and wrong is the 
"sum" of human happiness and misery, and 
no one can feel guilt for doing what he thinks 
will be for the highest good of man, when he 
has no guide but Atheism. 



LII. 

S. 
The Sabbath. 

INGERSOLL. 

The " sabbath " was born of asceticism, hatred of human 
joy, fanaticism, ignorance, egotism of priesls, and the 
cowardice of the people. * * Ev r ery Free Thinker, as a 
matter of duty, should violate this day. He should assert 
his independence, and do all within his power to wrest the 
sabbath from the gloomy church and give it back to liberty 
and joy. — Some Mistakes of 3Ioses, page 104. 



FROM THE BIBLE. 185 

BIBLE. 

Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy. —Ex. xx., 8. 

In the above is discovered not only treason 
against the Divine but against the civil govern- 
ment. Is not the sabbath one of our institu- 
tions ? Are we not commanded by the civil as 
well as by the moral law to respect it? Ingersoil, 
by the above statements, arrays himself on the 
side of the saloon keepers, theatre managers, 
socialists and violaters of the holy day, to break 
down one of our sicred institutions. 

Does Ingersollism mean the inauguration of 
the commune \ Not that every infidel is a com- 
munist, but are not the leaders of communism 
as a class infidels ? 

Divine ordinances are adapted to human needs. If win- 
ter lasted two years, the world would perish with hunger ; 
protracted summer would cause enervation, drought and 
disease. But at brief iatervals God gives us summer and 
winter, seed-time and harvest, enabling us to live and pros- 
per. So God ordained the weekly rest day; and man's phys- 
ical, mental, and moral well-being largely depends upon 
his observing it. He who gives his mind no rest, brings up 
in the mad house or in the grave. He who gives his body 
no repose, breaks down beneath the strain, and dies. And 
a man who habitually overworks, at last comes down with 
a typhoid fever, and that fever runs seven, fourteen, twenty- 
one or twenty-eight days, changing every seventh day, as do 
other diseases which result from physical exhaustion. 
Why is this? It is because man is built on that plan. His 
system changes every seventh day. He needs a weekly 
rest as much as an eight-day clock needs a weekly winding. 
He who winds such a clock once a month, finds it useless. 
He who neglects his weekly rest, lays the foundation for 
24 



186 INGERSOLL ANSWERED 

physical and mental disaster. Man cannot escape the rule 
of universal la at, nor the eye of the one Lawgiver. This 
law of sevens seems inwrought in our very nature, and 
holds us in health and sickness, from life's earliest origin 
to its end. Neither Jew nor Christian, skeptic nor heathen 
can escape its power. And when worn-out nature fran- 
tically struggles to bring man back to health again, he 
must come around on the seventh-day scale ; his fever must 
turn on a seventh day or he dies. Men may scoff at Sab- 
baths, and mock at Moses, but neither doctors nor infidels 
can make a typhoid fever turn except on the seventh day. 
Was Moses mistaken when he prescribed a rest day so in 
accordance with universal law ? 

The London costermongers told Lord Shaftesbury that 
their donkeys which rested one day in seven could travel 
thirty miles a day with their loads, while those donkeys 
that worked seven days in a week could only travel^/i/teeji 
miles a day. Such facts as these, and numerous others 
which abound on every hand, show that the law of sevens 
is a divine law. And He who made both man and the don- 
key, knew what was good for them and so put both man and 
donkey into the commandment, and said : " The seventh 
day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God : in it thou shalt 
not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, nor 
thy man servant, nor thy maid-servant, nor thine ox, nor 
thine ass, nor any of thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is 
within thy gates." Deut. v., 14. — Remarks on the Mistakes 
of Moses, by H. L. Hastings, pages 16-17. 



LIII. 

Serpents. 



INGERSOLL. 

Serpents also were sent among them (the Jews) and 
thousands perished for the crime of having been hungry. — 
Some Mistakes of Moses, page 218. 



FROM THE BIBLE. 187 

BIBLE. 

And the people spake against God and against Moses, 
Wherefore have ye brought us up out of Egypt to die in 
the wilderness? For there is no bread, neither is there any 
water, and our soul loacheth this light bread. And the 
Lord sent fiery serpents among the people and they bit the 
people and much people of Israel died. — Numbers xxi., 5-6. 

"Thousands perished," not "for the crime 
of having been hungry," but for their distrust, 
disobedience and mnrmuririgs. 



LIT. 

Slavery. 

ingersoll. 



Perhaps the bible was inspired upon the subject of human 
slavery. * * * Does the bible teach man to enslave his 
brother ? * * * Can we believe in this, the nineteenth 
century, that * * * God approved not only of human 
slavery but instructed his chosen people to buy the women, 
children and babes of the heathens about them. * * This 
God by commanding the Hebrews to buy approved of the 
selling of sons and daughters. * * Do you believe that 
the loving father of us all turned the dimpled arms of 
babes into manacles of iron ? Do you believe he baited the 
dungeon of servitude with wife and child? * * * Can 
we believe that God made lashes upon the naked back a le- 
gal tender for labor performed ? Must we regard the auc- 
tion block as an altar ? Were blood hounds apostles ? Was 
the slave pen a temple ? Were the stealers and whippers 
of babes and women the justified children of God ? It is 
now contended that while the Old Testament is 
touched with the barbarism of its time that the New Testa- 



188 INGERSOLL ANSWERED 

ment is morally perfect and that on its pages can be found 
no blot or stain. As a matter of fact the New Testament 
is more decidedly in favor of human slavery than the old. — 
Some Mistakes of Moses, pages 245-9. 

Ingersoll speaks of the slavery among the 
Jews as if it were the same in kind as that prac- 
ticed among the heathen nations, or as Ameri- 
can slavery ; when there was as much differ- 
ence between them as between noonday and 
midnight. The first was the mildest form of 
servitude. There were among the Jews no 
slave ships, no auction blocks, no slave mar- 
kets, and no stealing of men and forcing them 
into bondage. 

Immediately after the giving of the law at Sinai, as if to 
guard against all slavery and slave trading on the part of 
the Israelites, God promulgated the ordinance : " He that 

STEALETH A MAN AND SELLETH HIM, OR IF HE BE FOUND IN 
HIS HANDS, HE SHALL SURELY BE PUT TO DEATH." (Ex. XXL, 

16 ; Deut. xxiv., 7.) The crime is stated in its three- fold 
form — man-stealing, selling and holding — the penalty for 
either of which w r as death. — Kitto. 

Had the above law been enforced against 
American slavery, the number of dead slave 
stealers, sellers and holders could have been 
counted by the thousand. 

Such was the operation of the law and the obedience paid 
to it that we have not the remotest hint that the sale and 
purchase of slaves ever occurred among the Israelites. 
The cities of Judea were not, like the cities of Greece and 
Rome, slave markets ; nor were there found throughout all 
its coasts, either helots or slaves. With the Israelites, 
service was either voluntary or judicially imposed by the 



FROM THE BIBLE. 189 

law of God. (Lev. xxv., 39^7; Ex. xxi., 7; xxii., 3-4; 
Deut. xx., 14.) Strangers only, or the descendants of stran- 
gers, became their possession by purchase. (Lev. xxv., 
44-46.) But however acquired, the law gave the Jewish 
servants many rights and privileges ; they were admitted 
into covenant with God. (Deut. xxix., 10-13.) They were 
guests at all the national and family festivals. (Ex. xii.> 
43-44; Deut. xii., 18; xvi., 10-16) They were statedly 
instructed in morals and religion. (Deut. xxxi., 10-13 ; 
Josh, viii., 33-35 ; II. Chron., xvii , 8-9 ; xxxv., 3 ; xxxiv.> 
30 ; Neh. viii., 7-8 ) They were released from their regular 
labor nearly one-half of their term of servitude, viz.,- every 
seventh year. (Lev. xxv., 3-6.) Every seventh day, (Exo- 
dus xx.,) at the three annual festivals, (Ex. xxiii., 17; 
xxxi v., 23), viz., the Passover and Feast of Weeks, which 
lasted each seven days, and the Feast of Tabernacles, which 
lasted eight. Also on the New Moons, ihe Feast of Trum- 
pets and the Day of Atonement. Besides these were the 
local festivals, (Judges xxi., 19 ; I. Sam. ix., 12-22,) and the 
various family feasts as the weaning of children, marriage, 
sheep shearing, and circumcisions, the making of cove- 
nants, etc. (I. Sam. xx., 6-28-29.) To these must be added 
the Feast of Puriru, which lasted three days, and the 
Dedication, which lasted eight. The servants of the Israel. 
ites were protected by the law equally with their masters, 
(Deut. i., 16-17; xxvii., 19; Lev. xix., 15; xxiv., 22; 
Numbers, xv., 29,) and their civil and religious rights were 
the same. (Num. xv., 15, 16, 29 ; ix., 14 ; Deut. i., 16, 17 ; 
Lev. xxiv., 22.) To these might be added numerous pas- 
sages which represent the Deity as regarding alike the nat- 
ural rights of all, aud making for all an equal provision. 
(2 Chron. xix., 7 ; Prov. xxiv., 23 ; xxviii., 21 ; Job, xxxiv.. 
19; 2 Sam. xiv., 14 ; Eph. vi., 9.) Finally, these servants 
had the power of changing their masters and of seeking 
protection where they pleased, (Deut. xxiii , 15, 16,) and 
should their masters by any act of violence injure their per- 
sons, they were released from their engagements. (Exodus 



190 INGERSOLL ANSWERED 

xxi., 26, 27.) The terra of Hebrew servitude was six i ears, 
beyond which they could not be held unless they entered 
into new engagements ; (Exo. xxi., l-ll ; Deut. xv., 12,) 
while that of strangers, over whom the rights of the mas- 
ter were comparatively absolute, (Lev. xxv., 44-46.) termi- 
nated in every case on the return of the jubilee, when lib- 
erty was pro^aimed to all. (Lev. xxv^., 8, 10, 54 ) — Kitto's 
Encyclopaedia. 

Ought not even an infidel to admit that " In- 
spired Slavery" was mild indeed compared 
with the slavery of Greece and Rome, or with 
the slavery now prevalent in the east \ 

Is "the New Testament more decidedly in 
favor of Slavery than the Old ? " 

"As a matter of fact," this statement is sim- 
ply Mr. Ingersoll's affirmation, and positively 
untrue. 

There is no slavery but ignorance. — The Ghosts, page 73. 
Why, then do so many smart and thoroughly 
educated men go down under the power of dis- 
solute habits? Are these habits tokens of 
their freedom ? Does education prevent such 
men filling the dissipator's grave ? Is " ignor- 
ance" a synonym for "slavery?" Is educa- 
tion a synonym for freedom \ Not always ; 
one great pest of the w r orld to-day is the edu- 
cated villains that are in it. 

The history of man is simply the history of slavery, of 
injustice and brutality, together with the means by which 
he has, through the dead and desolate years, slowly and 
painfully advanced. — The Ghosts, page 73. 

Could anything better be expected from 



FROM THE BIBLE. 191 

"evolved" monkeys, or from a race which 
sprung from the " Moner ? " 



LV. 

Sublime Tkuttts. 

1NGERSOLL. 

Now, if the Bible is really the work of God, it should 
contain the grandest and sublimest truths. — The Christian 
Religion, page 8. 

Again : 

The church will be compelled at last to rest its case, not 
upon the wonders Christ is said to have performed, but upon 
the system of morality he taught. All the miracles, includ- 
ing the resurrection and ascension, are, when compared with 
portions of the " Sermon on the Mount," but dust and dark- 
ness. — What Must We Do to be Saved, page 5. 

The "Sermon on the Mount," according to 
his own testimony, "contains the grandest and 
sublimest truths." Indeed, with the "most 
of the teachings of Matthew, Mark, and Luke, 
he most heartily agrees." When Christ was 
on earth he "spake as never man spake." 
From his lips fell a philosophy deeper, broader, 
and higher than the world had previously 
known. Does "Infidelity "contain any sub- 
lime truth" by which man may be reformed 
from all his evil habits, his soul made to rejoice 
"with joy unspeakable and full of glory," 
(I Peter i., 8,) and by which he may have 



192 INGERSOLL ANSWERED 

opened to him an eternity of bliss beyond the 
grave? Does infidelity furnish us any plank 
on which to cross the "swellings of Jordan?" 
(Jer. xii., 5.) Dors it offer us aynthing bat 
"silence and pathetic dust V~ Is not this the 
"sublime" terminus of all its teachings in 
reference to a future world ( Is it not "sub- 
lime" nonsense to reject Revelation and accept 
nothing in its stead \ 

Where can be found anything "grander 1 ' 
or more "sublime" than is found in the Book 
of Job, especially his description of the 
Almighty, (Job xxxvin., etc.,) in the Psalms 
of David, Proverbs of Solomon, in the poetry 
of Isaiah, the prophecies of Ezekiel, vision of 
Daniel, the epistles of Paul, or John's Apo- 
calypse i 

Daniel Webster 
Relates the following: 

When in Paris, some years ago, I received an account of 
a French infidel who happened to find in the drawer of his 
library some stray leaves of an unknown volume. Al- 
though in the constant habit of denouncing the Bible, like 
most infidel writers he had never read any part of it. 
These fugitive leaves contained the prayer of Habakuk. 
(Hab. iii.) Being a man of fine literary taste, he was cap- 
tivated with its pjetic beauty, and hastened to the club 
house to announce the discovery to his associates. Of 
course, they were anxious to know the name of the 
gifted author, to which inquiries the elated infidel replied : 
" A writer by the name of Hab-ba-kook. of course a French- 
man!" Judge of the infidel's surprise wlien informed that 



FROM THE BIBLE. 193 

the passage he was so enthusiastically admiring was not 
produced by one of his own countrymen, nor even by one 
of his own class of so-called free-thinkers, but was penned 
by one of God's ancient p-ophets and was contained in that 
much despised book, the Bible ! This I regard as one of 
the sublimest passages in inspired literature, and often 
have I wondered that some artist equal to the task, has not 
selected the prophet and his scene of desolation as the sub- 
ject of a painting. 



LVI. 

T. 
Thief on the Ceoss. 

1XGERSOLL AGAINST HIMSELF. 

Who was this thief? * * * Did he believe that Christ 
was God ? I do not know. Why then was the promise 
made to him that he should meet Christ in Paradise ? Sim- 
ply because he pitied suffering innocence upon the cross. — 
What Must We Do to be Saved, page 47. 

Query : How could Christ be the embodi- 
ment of "suffering innocence" when he was 
guilty of blasphemy in claiming to be the son 
of God and had uttered that "frightful declar- 
ation : " u He that believeth and is baptized 
shall be saved, but he that believeth not shall 
be damned?" 

Again, if Ingersoll had read that passage 
carefully he would have seen that the thief be- 
lieved Christ was Gfod, for he prayed to him 
saying : 

Lord remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom 
— Luke xxiii., 42. 

25 



194 INGERSOLL ANSWERED 

LVIL 

W. 

War. 

INGERSOLL. 

Our Heavenly Father commanded the Hebrews to kill 
the men and women, the fathers, sons and brothers, but to 
preserve the girls alive. Why were not the maidens also 
killed? Why were they spared? Read the thirty-first 
chapter of Numbers, and you will find that the maidens 
were given to the soldiers and the priests. Is there in all 
the history of war a more infamous thing than this? * * 

* * We are told in the Pentateuch, that God, the father 
of us all, gave thousands of maidens, after having killed 
their fathers, their mothers, and their brothers, to satisfy the 
brutal lusts of savage men. If there be a God, I pray him. 
to write in his book, opposite my name, that I denied this 
lie for him. —Some Mistakes of Moses, pages 253-255. 

BIBLE. 

Now, therefore, kill every male among the little ones, an I 
kill every woman that hath known man by lying with him 
But all the women children that have not known a man 
by lying with him keep alive for yourselves. — Numbers 
xxxi., 17-18. 

There is not a word in the "Thirty-first chap- 
ter of Numbers," or in the Bible, to show that 
" God * * gave thousands of maidens * 
* to satisfy the brutal lusts of savage men." 
It is distinctly stated that it was "women 
children," the most of whom were of course in- 
capable of "satisfying" the lusts of men, 



FROM THE BIBLE. 195 

that they were to keep alive for themselves. 
They were not to keep them to " satisfy * * 
lust" but for servants, or wives when grown 
up. This harmonizes with God's order about 
captive females as stated in other places, and 
with the practice of the Israelites. (See Deut. 
xxi., 10-13; Numbers xxxi* 17-18; Judges 
xxi., 12-14.) 

In reference to killing u the men and women, 
the fathers, sons and brothers," let it be re- 
membered that it was not the act of an individ- 
ual^ but of a nation in defence of its rights. 
Much that would be lawful for a government 
would be murder if done on individual author- 
ity. In this instance both men and women 
were rebels against the Israelites and very ac- 
tive in their corruption. These were slain to 
prevent further rebellion. The only thing In- 
gersoll can complain of, with any show of con- 
sistency, is the killing of the male children. 
Upon this I remark : 

1. God had ordered a war of extermination 
against the Canaanites, and as these Mideonites 
had also filled their "cup" of iniquity, it 
was right to commence against them, and those 
who might soon grow up and join in battle 
against Israel were put out of the way. This 
opens the question of God's right to take the 
life of the innocent and at the same time say 
"Thou shalt not kill." 



196 INGERSOLL ANSWERED 

2. As God gave life he has a right to take it, 
when and as he pleases, without giving all his 
reasons to Mr. Ingersoll or anyone else. He has 
shown his prerogative and power by giving, tak- 
ing and restoring life. Man has not this power, 
hence no right to take life as an individual, ex- 
cept by special Divine order, as in this instance. 
Had God destroyed all these lives by a pesti- 
lence or an earthquake, who would have com- 
plained of a wrong ? and what good would have 
resulted by such complaint ? God could pre- 
vent all pain and death, but who curses him for 
not doing so except Ingersoll and Co.? Shall 
the thing formed say to him that formed it, why 
hast thou made me thus " (Romans ix., 20). 
The misfortune with Ingersoll is, he first tries 
to put himself upon an equality with the Al- 
mighty, and then reasons as if he had really 
reached that elevation. He assumes that an 
infinite God has no rights that do not belong to 
him, and reasons accordingly. He ought to 
understand that the civil government under 
which he lives has rights which do not be- 
long to him as an individual. Had he any right 
to draw the sword against the southern rebels 
but by command of the government ? And 
when the sword was put into his hand by such 
authority, was it not his duty to use it to the 
death of others ? God is above all governments 



FROM THE BIBLE. 197 

and lias rights invested in no government on 
the face of the earth. 

3. Let Mr. Ingersoll also remember that his 
Evolution God is not a whit behind the "Je- 
hovah of the Jews" in inflicting pain. He has, 
according to Ingersoll' s confession of faith, 
done just what he condemns the God of the Bi- 
ble for doing. He has evolved a race and 
evolved them into the midst of untold suffering 
and death, for which Ingersoll cannot account 
any more than for pains inflicted by Divine or- 
der. How much more of the same kind of suf- 
fering to expect from his Evolution Deity 
hereafter he cannot tell. Why does he not rid- 
icule his own God as well as the God of the 
Bible \ 

L\GERSOLL. 

If the bible be true, God commanded his chosen people 
to destroy men simply for the crime of defending their na- 
tive land.— Some Mistakes of Moses, page 253. 

BIBLE. 

For the wickedness of these nations the Lord doth drive 
them out from before thee. — Deut. ix., 4. 

And because of these abominations the Lord thy God 
doth drive them out from before thee. — Deut. xviii., 12. 

God commanded his chosen people to destroy 
men because of their "wickedness" and 
"abominations" and not for the crime of de- 
fending "theirnative land." 

It would be interesting to hear a military leader and leg- 
islator, like " Moses, the man of God," who, after he was 
eighty years old, commanded for forty years an army of six 



198 INGERSOLL ANSWERED 

hundred thousand nien, emancipating, organizing and 
giving laws to a nation which has maintained its exstence 
for more than thirty stormy centuries, give his candid 
opinion concerning " the mistakes " of a "Colonel" of cav- 
alry , whose military career is said to have included one single 
engagement, in which " he was chased into a hog-yard, and 
surrendered to a boy of sixteen ;" after which, as soon as 
exchanged, he heroically resigned his commission in the 
face of the enemy, subsequently turning his attention to 
managing swindling whiskey r'ngs, discussing theology, 
defending scoundrels, blaspheming God, and criticising 
dead men who cannot answer him. — Inspiration of the Bi- 
ble, by H. L. Hastings, page 7. 

The rules of war among the Jews were better 
than those of the nations around them, and for 
that age of the world were not barbaric. From 
Deut. xx., 10, we learn that a besieged city had 
the privilege of surrendering and becoming 
tributary to the Jews. The inhabitants had 
the option of saving their lives. Deut. xx., 19, 
teaches us that the Jews were prohibited from 
destroying the fruit trees, and as we have seen 
heretofore, (Deut. xxi., 10,) if a beautiful female 
was captured she might be taken to wife but 
not maltreated. 



LVIII. 

"What is an Infidel?" 

ingersoll. 

What is an " infidel ? " He is simply a man in advance 
of his time. He is an intellectual pioneer. He is the dawn 
of a new day. He is a gentleman with an idea of his own 



FROM THE BIBLE. 199 

for which he gave no receipt to the church. * * * He 
is a man who has had a doubt. To have a doubt means 
that you have thought upon the subject— that you have in- 
vestigated the question ; and he who investigates any re- 
ligion will doubt. All the advance that has been made in 
the religious world has been made by " infidels," by "here- 
tics," by " skeptics," by doubters — that is to say, by 
thoughtful men. * * * An infidel is an intellectual dis- 
coverer— one who finds new isles, new continents, in the vast 
realm of thought. The dwellers on the orthodox shore de- 
nounce this brave sailor of the seas as a buccaneer. And 
yet we are told that the thinkers of new thoughts have 
never been of value to the world. Voltaire did more for 
human liberty than all the orthodox ministers living and 
dead. He broke a thousand times more chains than 
Luther. Luther simply substituted his chain for that of 
the Catholics. Voltaire had none. — Interviews on Talmage, 
page 176-7. 

And has infidelity come to be a synonym for 
brains, for "intellectual" advancement? Are 
infidels the only "intellectual pioneers" of 
the world ? Indeed ! The above definition of 
an infidel as it comes reverberating over the 
water to the land lubbers, and "dwellers on 
the orthodox shore," sounds like the boister- 
ous braggadocio of a full grown "Moner," and 
these "dwellers" prefer the following impar- 
tial definition according to Webster's Un- 
abridged Dictionary : 

One who is without faith, or unfaithful ; hence a disbe- 
iever ; a free thinker, especially (a) heathen, (b) a moham- 
medan, (c) one who disbelieves in Christ or the divine 
origin and authority of Christianity. 

Another writer has described an infidel thus : 



200 INGERSOLL ANSWERED 

His four corner stones of belief are that God has made a 
great many blunders, that the Bible isn't worth reading, 
that Christ was more or less an impostor, and that immor- 
tality is a myth. On these foundations he builds a house 
in which there is nothing to eat or drink, and whose roof 
leaks at every shingle. 

L\GERSOLL. 

Can you wonder that we point with pride to the fact that 
Infidelity has ever been found battling for the rights of 
man, for the liberty of conscience, and for the happiness of 
all? Can you wonder that we are proud to know that we 
have always been disciples of Reason, and soldiers of Free- 
dom ; that we have denounced tyranny and superstition, 
and have kept our hands unstained with human blood? — 
The Gods, (Paine,) page 158. 

Where are these boasted monuments of In- 
fidelity % Where are the people who have 
been elevated by its teachings % Where are its 
Asylums, Orphanages, and Homes for the 
Friendless % Where are the "disciples of Rea- 
son," so thoroughly devoted to the "Religion 
of Humanity" that they may be seen going 
day and night through the streets and alleys of 
our large cities, endeavoring to better the con- 
dition of the degraded and fallen ? Where are 
these "Soldiers of Fieedom" who search the 
dens of vice in order to rescue the perishing \ 
What has infidelity to offer to these slaves of 
sin % It berates the Bible and the Christian 
church, and then the coward seeks protection 
under institutions and governments founded 
by Christianity. 



FROM THE BIBLE. 201 

Infidelity has such a record of organized endeavor to 
regenerate mankind. Turn to the history of the French 
Revolution and read it there. The leaders of that Revolu- 
tion, as you know, were * * * the disciples of Diderot, 
Voltaire, Rousseau. They were avowed atheists or infidels, 
and Thomas Paine was one of the number, sat in their 
midst, participated in their discussions, aided in drawing 
up the constitution they enacted. What that convention 
said and did the world knows and will never forget. They 
did what Mr. Ingersoll would be glad to have the Congress 
of the United States do. They abolished Christianity by 
vote. They declared there was no God, forbade the public 
instructors to utter his name to their children. They struck 
-the Sabbath out of the calendar and made the week consist 
of ten days, instead of seven. They wrote over the gates of 
the cemeteries : "Death is an eternal sleep." They tore 
down the bells from the church spires and cast them into 
cannons. They stripped the churches of everything used 
in worship, and made bonfires in the streets, and then in- 
stituted the rights of the old pagan religions, where the 
altars had stood. Not content with this, Chaumette, one 
of the leaders of the convention, appeared one day before 
that body, leading a rioted courtesan with a troop of her 
associates. Advancing to the President, he raised her veil 
and exclaimed : 

" Mortals ! Recognize no other divinity than Reason, of 
which I present you the loveliest and purest personifica- 
tion." 

Whereupon the President of the Convention bowed and 
professed to render devout adoration. And a few days 
later the same scene was re-enacted in the Cathedral of 
Notre Dame, with increased profanations, and more out- 
rageous orgies, and was declared to be the public inaugura- 
tion of the new religion of the Commune. And like dese- 
crations and blasphemies throughout all France took the 
place of the old worship. Worse than this, all distinctions 
of right and wrong were confounded. The grossest de- 
26 



202 IXGERSOLL ANSWERED 

bauchery was inaugurated, the wildest excesses prevailed 
aud were gloried in ; contempt for religion and for decency 
became the test of attachment to the Government. The 
grosser the infractions of morals the greater the so-called 
victory over prejudice, the higher the proof of loyalty to 
the State. To accuse one's father \a as the best proof of cit- 
izenship ; to neglect it was denounced as a crime and pun- 
ishable with death. Wives were bayoneted for the faith of 
their husbands, and husbands for that of their wives. One 
of the chief tools of the Commune, Carrier, ruling at Nan- 
tes, declared that the "intention of the Convention was to 
depopulate and burn the country," and he was as good as 
his word. He gathered those suspected of disloyalty in 
flocks. He shut up 1,500 women and children in one pris- 
on without beds, without straw, without fire or covering, 
and kept them for two days without food. The only es- 
cape was for men to surrender their fortunes, and women 
their virtue. He contrived ships with slides in their hulls 
below the water line, loaded these with his prisoners under 
pretext of transferring them elsewhere, and when the ves- 
sels were in the middle of the Loire, ordered the valve 
opened and the victims plunged into the water, while he. 
surrounded by a troop of prostitutes, looked on and gloated 
over the scene. And this is only a type of what occurred 
elsewhere. Proscription followed proscription, tragedy fol- 
lowed tragedy, till the whole country was one huge field 
of rapine and of blood. * * * 17,000 perished in the 
City of Paris during this combined reign of infidelity and 
terror. * * * Not less than 3,000,000 lives were the 
costly price of establishing the new religion. There is no 
disputing these facts, nor the reasons that underlay them. 
This whole terrific record — and history knows none that is 
darker or more damning — was the direct and legitimate 
fruit of the doctrines which Mr. Ingersoll lauds as the sub- 
lime truth " that is to fill the world with peace I" * * * 
And what infidelity was then, it is now ; and, what it did 
then, so far as its assaults upon religion were concerned, 
and its overturning of civil order, it would do to-day, if it 



FROM THE BIBLE. 203 

had the power. — Dr. Goodwin, in Mistakes of Ingersoll, 
pages 97-100. 

And who are these disciples of "reason" 
who have "ever been found battling for the 
rights of man?" What were their doctrines 
and practices % 

D£rid Hume maintained that * * * " suicide is law- 
ful and commendable,'' that " female infidelity when 
known, is a small thing ; when unknown, nothing ;" that 
" adultery must be practiced, if men would obtain all the 
advantages of this life, and that if generally practiced, it 
would, in time, cease to be scandalous, and if practiced 
frequently and secretly, would come to be thought no crime 
at all." 

Lord Herbert taught that the " indulgence of lust and 
anger is no more to be blamed than thirst or drowsiness." 

Mr. Hobbs declared that " civil law is the only foundation 
of right and wrong, that where there is no law, every 
man's judgment is the only standard of morals ; that every 
man has a right to all things, and may lawfully get them 
if he can." 

Lord Boiingbroke held that self-love is the only standard 
of morality ; that the lust of power, avarice, sonsuality, 
may be lawfully gratified, if they can be safely gratified ; 
that modesty is inspired by mere prejudice, polygamy a 
law of nature, adultery no violation of morals, and the 
chief end of man is to gratify the appetite of the flesh. 
And he kept faith with his teachings and led the life of a 
shameless libertine. 

Voltaire advocated the unlimited gratification of sensual 
appetites, and was a sensualist of the lowest type. He was 
likewise a blasphemer, a calumniator, a liar, and a hypo- 
crite ; a man who all his life taught and wrought "all 
uncleanness \vith n greediness," and nevertheless had the 
amazing good sense to wish that he had never been born. 

Rousseau was by his own confessions, a habitual liar, 



204 INGERSOLL ANSWERED 

and thief and debauchee ; a man so utterly vile that he 
took advantage of the hospitality of friends to plot their 
domestic ruin ; a man so destitute of natural affection that 
he committed his base born children to the charity of the 
public, that lie might be spared the trouble and cost of car- 
ing for them. To use his own language, "guilty without 
remorse, he soon became so without measure." 

As to Thomas Paine * * * after all allowance that 
can be made for misrepresentation, this remains unques- 
tionably true, on the authority of those who claimed to be 
his friends and knew him best, that in his last years he 
was addicted to intemperance, given to violence and 
abusiveness, had disreputable associates, lived with a 
woman who was not his wife, and left to her whatever 
remnant of fortune he had.— Dr. Goodwin, in Mistakes of 
Ingersoll, pages 85, 86. 

These are a few of the best "disciples" of 
Infidelity, not the Benedict Arnolds of the 
cause, but men who were "in advance of their 
time," the "intellectual pioneers" of the 
world! the "soldiers of Freedom" to whom 
Ingersoll "points with pride!" Contrast them 
with Jesus, Paul, Wesley, Whitfield, Luther 
and the vast army of Christian heroes who 
were pure in doctrine, and pure in life, and 
choose with which class you prefer to be num- 
bered. 

Remove from the world even the restraining 
influence of the Christian Religion, write it 
upon the corner stones of the churches that 
"there is no God," emblazon it over the pul- 
pits that "death ends all," inscribe it upon the 
walls of your homes that the Bible is a fable, 



FROM THE BIBLE. 205 

annihilate the Christian Sabbath, blot out 
future retribution, burn all christian literature, 
tear down the colleges, asylums and orphan- 
ages erected by Christianity, disband the benev- 
olent associations it has organized, blot the 
name of Christ from the calendar, aye, ex- 
punge the name of God from the world, and 
what have we left but heathen darkness, yea, 
what is left but— HELL. 

What infidel would "point with pride" to 
the following experiment to live without Chris- 
tianity ? 

Five years ago there was founded in Barton County, Mis- 
souri, by a party of atheists, a town called by the name 
Liberal. It is said to be the only community of equal size 
in the United States which does not recognize God or relig- 
ion, There is not a church within its limits, nor a minis- 
ter, nor a professing christian. Christians who come into 
the town on business are commonly surrounded and assailed 
for their religious belief in the most abusive manner. The 
whole atmosphere of the place is densely atheistic. If there 
could be a community from which God was utterly shut 
out, this town of Liberal would be such. The founders 
gave out distinctly that the town was established as an 
experiment — or rather, as they looked upon it, as a demon- 
stration of what man could do for himself without the so- 
called " superstitions" of religion. They proposed to show 
the world that Christianity was nothing but a fable ; that 
people could live and prosper without it ; that churches? 
and ministers, and Sabbath-days, and religious observances 
of every kind were all a humbug, a kind of fetish-worship 
that man ought to free himself from, if he would attain 
to his highest earthly welfare and happiness. What, then, 
has been the result of the venture? Nine-tenths of those 



206 IXGERSOLL ANSWERED 

now living in the town would leave it if they could sell 
their property. There is not a store in the town which 
carries $10,000 worth of stock ; there is not a factory or 
manufacturing establishment of any kind in the place, and, 
worst of all, there is not even a school-house. Public 
schools and infidel meetings have been held in rented 
buildings, except those which were hel i in the " Universal 
Mental Liberty Hall," the flaming title of a *' building/' 
says a correspondent of the St. Louis Globe- Democrat, 
" about the size of a smoke-house, which it closely resem- 
bles." There is not in the town a building that could not 
be built for $3,000, not a half dozen that cost $2,000, and 
a great majority of them cost less than $1,000. The two 
hotels of the place are spoken of as "cheap dens of the 
lowest character." One of them is vacant, and the other is 
soon to be closed. Nor have the social features of this infi- 
del paradise been more gratify iug than its material fea- 
tures. One of the inducements held forth by the founders 
was that, with the absence of all religious sects and those 
quarrels which arise from differences of belief and from 
the necessary opposition between Christianity and the 
world, social harmony and good feeling would prevail, and 
men would live together as brothers in peace and prosper- 
ity. But instead of this ideal harmony, the town has 
known nothing but quarrels and dissensions since the day 
it was founded. And as to the virtues of society under 
the removal of all religious restraint, Liberal is a sad exam- 
pie of what unaided human nature is able to do in emanci- 
pating itself from the dominion of sin. Liquor is sold with- 
out stint, and drunkenness is a prevailing crime. Swearing 
is the common form of speech. Girls and boys swear in 
the street, in the playground, and at home. Fully half the 
women are said to habitualb' use profane language. Lack 
of reverence for parents and obedience to them is the rule. 
Husbands and wives separate whenever they choose, and 
the most gross forms of social immorality prevail. Slander 
and vituperation are in everybody's mouths. This town of 



FROM THE BIBLE. 207 

Liber. il has important material advantages. It is situated 
in the midst of an unusually fertile country, underlaid 
with rich deposits of coal. A large amount of capital was 
invested at the start, in developing the resources of the 
regiou, and providing facilities for immigration. There is 
nothing whatever to account for the utter failure of the 
community except the atheistic principles upon which it 
was founded. The significance of the experiment is height- 
ened by the bravado with which it was announced to the 
world. It is a lesson which the socialistic and free-think- 
ing will do well to ponder. Neither towns nor States can 
prosper without the restraints of religion and the recogni- 
tion of Divine ^rovidence, authority and law. — Christian 
Thought, 1886, pages 395-396. 

Dr Lyman Abbott, in a sermon at Cornell 
University, gives a parody on the Lord's 
Prayer in his closing sentences as " The Prayer 
of Modern Positivists," which would be appro- 
priate for the inhabitants of Liberal City : 

Our brethren which art on the earth, hallowed be our 
name ; our kingdom come ; our will be done on earth, for 
there is no heaven. We will get us this day our daily 
bread. We will forgive no trespasses, for there is no for- 
giveness. We will fear no temptation, for we can deliver 
ourselves from evil, and ours is the kingdom, and ours is 
the power, and there is no glory, and no forever. Amen. 

The Doctor then invited the audience to 
unite with him in the Lord's Prayer, thus im- 
pressing the fine contrast upon the heart of 
each hearer. 

Again, that system of Religion is worthless 
which forsakes a man in the hour of his great- 
est need. Infidelity struts in health and 
strength, but in death it acknowledges with 



208 INGERSOLL ANSWERED 

confessions most humiliating, that there is no 
power in it then to give consolation. It leaves 
man to die alone. "Why" do infidels so 
often forsake their theories, and their the- 
ories forsake them, when about to change 
worlds? If there be any virtue in infi- 
delity, it ought to reveal itself at this trying 
time. Do not many infidels then attest the 
truth of the Christian Religion by abandoning 
their false doctrines and seeking for refuge 
under the shadow of the Almighty ( Did the 
reader ever hear of a true Christian forsaking 
God and the Bible in death and embracing 
Atheism \ The reformatory, consoling, and 
sustaining power of infidelity is a "myth." 
It quails and trembles before the pale horse 
and his rider, and leaves its devotees to die as 
the fool dieth. Where Infidelity shows its 
weakness, Christianity reveals its power. Rev- 
elation alone brings a Jesus, whose name is 

" A sovereign balm for every wound, 
A cordial for our fears." 

It discovers to us the "Mighty to save" 
who 

" Can make the dying bed 
Feel soft as downy pillows are." 

Infidels are inconsistent with themselves and 
with their doctrines, else they would cling to 
their dogmas with unyielding grasp when dan- 
ger and death threaten. 

An infidel lecturer addressed an audience with great 



FROM THE BIBLE. 209 

earnestness, denying God and immortality, and uttering 
the most horrid blasphemies. When he was done, a man 
of middle age arose and said . " My friends, I have a word 
to speak. I am not about to refute any of the arguments 
of the orator. I shall say nothing concerning what I be- 
lieve to be the blasphemies he has uttered ; but I shall sim- 
ply relate to you a fact, and, after I have done that, you 
shall draw your own conclusions. Yesterday I walked by 
the side of yonder river ; I saw on its floods a young man 
in a boat ; the boat was unmanageable ; it was going fast 
toward the rapids. I saw the young man wring his hands 
in agony. By and by he gave up the attempt to save his 
life, kneeled down and cried with desperate earnestness, 
"O, God save my soul. If my body cannot be saved, save 
my soul ! " I heard him confess that he had been a blas- 
phemer. I heard him vow that if his life were spared he 
would never be such again. I heard him implore the 
mercy of heaven for Jesus Christ's sake, and earnestly 
plead that he might be washed in his blood. These arms 
saved that young man from the flood. I plunged in and 
saved his life. That same young man has just now addressed 
you, and cursed his Maker. What say you to this, sirs?" 
The speaker sat down. A shudder ran through the young 
man himself, and the audience saw, that while it was a fine 
thing to act the bravado against Almighty God on dry 
land, when danger was distant, it was not the same near 
the verge of the grave. — Foster's Cyclopaedia. 

Which lecture had the greatest effect \ 

An infidel had an only daughter lying upon a sick-bed : 
his wife, who died, was in her life-time a devoted, spiritual- 
minded and praying christian. When the daughter's 
death was very near, she called her father to her bed-side 
and said: " My mother died a Christian some years ago, 
rejoicing in Jesus, and assured of heaven ; you are a disbe* 
liever in Christianity ; I am going to make the las I venture ; 
am I to die in my mother's faith, or in yours ? I beseech 
you to advise me," she said with earnestness and fervor, 
21 



210 IXGERSOLL ANSWERED 

"whether I am to die in rny mother's faith or in yours.'* 
The father's struggle between affection to his only child 
and the pride of devotedness to his principles was tremen- 
dous ; but at last, amid a burst of tears and in an agony of 
feeling, the hardened, yet melting infidel said : " Die in 
your mother's faith." And she died in her mother's faith. 
— Dr. dimming. 

Bishop Whipple says : 

I once met a thoughtful scholar who told me that for 
years he had read every book he could which assailed the 
religion of Jesus Christ, and he said he should have become 
an infidel but for three things : " First. I am a man. I am 
going somewhere. To-night I am a day nearer the grave 
than I was last night. I have read all such books can tell 
me. They shed not one solitary ray of hope or light upon 
the darkness. They shall not take away the only guide 
and leave me stone blind. Second. I had a mother. I saw 
her go down into the dark valley where I am going, and 
she leaned upon an unseen arm as calmly as a chiLl goes 
to sleep on the breast of its mother. I know that was not 
a dream. Third. I have three motherless daughters (and 
he said it with tears in his eyes). They have no protector 
but myself. I would rather kill them than leave them in 
this sinful world if you blot out from it all the teachings 
of the Gospel. — Christian Thought, 1886, page 397. 

Dr. Young tells us of the awful death of the 
profligate and licentious Altamont. Hear him 
addressing a friend that had been poisoned by 
his skepticism, and ruined by his licentious- 
ness: 

No, no. Let me speak on. I have not long to speak. My 
much-injured friend, my soul, as my body, lies in ruins, in 
scattered fragments of broken thought. Remorse for the 
past throws my thoughts upon the future ; worse dread of 
the future strikes them back upon the past. I turn, and 
turn, and find no ray. Didst thou feel half the mountain 



FROM THE BIBLE. 211 

that is on me, thou would struggle with the martyr for his 
stake, and bless Heave n for the flame. That is not an un- 
quenchable fire 1 And is there another hell ? O thou blas- 
phemed yet indulgent Lord God ! Hell itself is a refuge, if 
it hid me from thy frown. 

Said the Atheistical Hobbs : 

I am taking a fearful leap in the dark, 

Thomas Paine said a little before death : 

Until this moment I have believed there was neither a 
God nor a hell; now I know and feel there are both, and 
I am doomed to perdition by this just judgment of the Al- 
mighty, 

That he bitterly regretted the writing and the publishing 
of the Age of Reason, we have incontestable proof. Dur- 
ing his last illness he asked a pious young woman, Mary 
Roscoe, a Quakeress, who frequently visited him, if she had 
ever read any of his writings, and being told that she had 
read very little of them, he inquired what she thought of 
them, adding " From such a one as you I expect a true an- 
swer." She told him, when very young she had read his 
Age of Reason ; but the more she read of it the more dark 
and distressed she felt, and she threw it into the fire. " I 
wish all had done as you," he replied," (i for if the devil 
ever had an agency in any work, he has had it in writing 
that book." — Journal of Stephen Grellet, 1809. 

"Why" did he not call someone to his 
bedside to read for his comfort a few passages 
from his Age of Reason instead of regret- 
ting that he wrote that work? "Why" did 
he lose confidence in his infidelity when about 
to die ? 

He says in the Age of Reason, page 57 : 

I had besides neither Bible or Testament to refer to, 
though I was writing against both, nor could I procure any 
notwithstanding which I have produced a work that no 



212 INGERSOLL ANSWERED 

bible believer, though writiDg at his ease, and with a libra- 
ry of church books about him, can refute. 

What a confession ! Is it not true of most 
infidels that they speak and write against the 
Bible when ignorant, to a great extent, of its 
contents? What egotism is contained in the 
above extract. " / have jiroduced a worJc that 
no Bible believer * * * can refute" The 
author "refutes" it himself in the above con- 
fession, and when he came to die he "refuted " 
it again by saying, " If the devil ever had an 
agency in any- work, he has had it in writing 
that book" Benjamin Franklin said, when 
Thomas Paine submitted to him his manu- 
script of the Age of Reason : 

I would advise you therefore not to attempt unchaining 
the tiger, but to burn this piece before it is seen by any 
other person, whereby you will save yourself a great deal 
of mortification from the enemies it may raise you and per- 
haps a good deal of regret and repentance. If men are so 
wicked with religion, what would they be without it? — Al- 
libone's Dictionary of Authors, page 1484. 

True christians do not abandon their God or 
their bible when approaching death. As the 
tempest comes they do not lose confidence in 
their foundation. Death is to them "the eternal 
opening of the golden gates of everlasting joy. ' ' 
Did St. Paul, as he was confined in the lower 
dungeon of the Mamertine prison in Rome, 
" bitterly regret " writing his many epistles? 
Go to his dungeon and ask him. He is an old 



FROM THE BIBLE. 213 

pilgrim, two years short of seventy, and abuut 
to be beheaded for his religion. I almost see 
Mm straightening up and pushing back his 
locks as he answers : 

I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my depar- 
ture is at hand. I have fought a good fight, I have finished 
my course, I have kept the faith ; henceforth there is laid 
up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the 
righteous Judge, shall give rue at that day, and not to me 
only, but unto all them also that love his appearing. — II 
Tim., iv., 5, 6, 7. 

When Ridley and Latimer were tied to the 
stake, Latimer exclaimed: "Be of good com- 
fort, Master Ridley, and play the man. We 
shall this day light such a candle, by God's 
grace, in England, as I trust shall never be 
put out." 

John Knox, when dying, said: "Live in 
Christ, live in Christ, and the flesh need not 
fear death." 

Alfred Cookman exclaimed: "I am sweep- 
ing through the gates, washed in the blood of 
the lamb." 

John Wesley exclaimed: "The best of all 
is, God is with us." 

Polycarp, when bound to the stake, said : 
"O Lord, I adore thee for all thy mercies. I 
bless thee that I glorify thee through thy only 
begotten son, the Eternal High Priest, Jesus 
Christ." 



214 INGERSOLL ANSWERED 

Benjamin Abbott exclaimed; "Glory to 
God, I see heaven open before me." 

Rutherford: "I have got the victory, and 
Christ is holding out both hands to embrace 
me." 

Richard Baxter: "I believe, I believe I am 
almost well. Lord, teach us how to die." 

John Bun van : " We shall meet ere long to 
sing the new song and remain happy forever 
in a world without end." 

Rev. Dr. Wakeley, "Hark! hark! hear ye 
not that song \ Victory is ours. There is great 
rejoicing in heaven. Roll open, ye golden 
gates, and let my car go through ! I must wait 
until the death angel descends." 

A volume might be filled with the triumph- 
ant testimony of dying Christians. 

Again we ask : 

"What is an Infidel?" 

And in face of the blighting influences of 
Infidelity, and the dying testimonies of its ad- 
vocates, contrasted with the hallowed influ- 
ences of Christianity and the dying testimonies 
of true believers, what is the response ? 

Let others reject Christ and his religion if 
they choose ; let them hug their false and com- 
fortless dogmas ; let them come to the death 
stream and find no Jesus to pilot them to the 
haven of rest, but 

Let me die the death of the righteous and let my last end 
be like his. — Numbers xxiii., 10. 



FROM THE BIBLE. 215 

LIX. 

Wickedness of the Church. 

ixgersoll agaixst hi5iself. 

I will not say that the church has been an unmitigated 
evil in all respects. — The Gods, (Heretics,) page 192. 

For more than fifty generations the church has carried 
the black flag. Her vengeance has been measured only by 
her power. During all these years of infamy no heretic 
has ever been forgiven. With the heart of a fiend she has 
hated ; with tne clutch of avarice she has grasped ; with 
the jaws of a dragon she has devoured ; pitiless as famine, 
merciless as fire, with the conscience of a serpent : such is 
the history of the Church of God. — The Gods, (Heretics,) page 
219. 

How could any one describe an " unmitigated 
evil," better than in the last passage quoted ? 

In the name of our God we rise to resent the 
statement that "such is the history of the 
Church of God." Such may be the history of 
a so-called, or backslidden church, but the 
" Church of God" has made no such dark rec- 
ord at any period of its history. Such may be 
the history of fallen, but not of true Chris- 
tianity. 

BIBLE. 

Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it, that 
he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water 
by the word, that he might present it to himself a glorious 
church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, 
but that it should be holy and without blemish. — Eph. v., 25- 
6-7. 

Here is the ideal of the true Christian 
Church. 



216 INGERSOLL ANSWERED 

The " Church of God " is composed not of 
any one, nor of all denominations, but of the 
redeemed part of humanity. It has on its 
roll of membership the true believer on the 
Lord Jesus Christ in whatever denomination 
he may be found, and when men shall all be 
drawn to Christ, and be baptized with his spirit, 
sectarianism will take a secondary place, prej- 
udice and bigotry, hatred and persecution will 
vanish, and Christ be all and in all. 



LIX. 

Woman. 

ingersoll. 

If we wish to find what the bible thinks of woman, all 
that is necessary to do is to read it. We find that every- 
where she is spoken of simply as property — as belonging 
absolutely to tl.e man. — Interviews on Talmage, page 125. 

The bible was not written by a woman. Within its lids 
tnere is nothing but humiliation and shame for her. She 
is made to ask forgivenness for becoming a mother. She 
is as much below her husband as her husband is below 
Christ. She is not allowed to speak. The gospel is too 
pure to be spoken by her polluted lips. Woman should 
learn in silence. — Hie Ghosts and Other Lectures, page 140. 

It would seem that the above extracts were 
written by some Ghost, or that "no sane man 
ever said it" 

BIBLE. 

A virtuous woman is a crown to her husband. — Prov. 
xii., 4. 



FROM THE BIBLE. 217 

Who can find a virtuous woman ? for her price is far 
above rubies. The heart of her husband doth safely trust 
in her, so that he shall have no need of spoil.— Pro v. xxxi., 
10-11. 

And seventeen verses following commending 
the good wife. Ingersoll, with all his rhetori- 
cal flourishes, could not give a more beautiful 
description of a virtuous and loving wife. 

If " the gospel was too pure to be spoken 
by her polluted lips," "why" were there 
prophetesses in the church under both the old 
and new dispensations ? Who pronounced 
greater blessings upon a woman's head than Je- 
sus ? To whom did he say : "Gfo, and sin no 
more." To whom did he first appear after his 
resurrection? Of whom did he say, " Where- 
soever this gospel shall be preached in 
the whole world, there shall also this, that this 
woman hath done, be told for a memorial of 
her?" (Matt, xxvi., 13.) 

INGERSOLL. 

In no country in the world had women less liberty than 
in the Holy Land — and no Monarch held in less esteem the 
rights of wives and mothers than Jehovah of the Jews. 
The position of woman was far better in Egypt than in 
Palestine. * * * The condition of woman has improved 
just in proportion as man has lost confidence in the inspi- 
ration of t'ie Bible. — The Christian Religion, page 58. 

The "position" of woman among the He- 
brews "in the Holy Land" was "far better" 
than her "position" among the surrounding 
heathen nations. The Hebrew women were 



218 INGERSOLL ANSWERED 

angels compared with the women of the old 
Canaanite tribes. What is, and what has ever 
been her condition, socially, in all lands where 
the Bible is not read, and where infidelity and 
savagery dominate ? "Why," in such lands, 
have women "less liberty" than in Christian 
countries \ In the heathen home of India, fe- 
male children are unwelcome, and the lather 
considers himself insulted if congratulated on 
the birth of a girl. Many of these are dis 
posed of by murder, and those permitted to 
live are married in their babyhood, and kept 
in illiteracy. Where the Bible has not gone, 
there are whole tribes which have no marriage 
ceremony, while there are others having only 
a semblance of one. Polygamy prevails, and 
sometimes that which is worse — a plurality of 
husbands. In Thibet wives are pawned and 
loaned, and in China hired to other men. 

The funeral of an African chief is thus described by the 
traveler, Commander Cameron, as taking place in Urua, in 
the centre of the Dark Continent: "The first proceeding 
is to divert the course of a stream, and in its bed to dig an 
enormous pit, the bottom of which is then covered with liv- 
ing women ! At one end a woman is placed on her hands 
and knees, and upon her back the dead chief, covered with 
beads and other treasures, is seated, being supported on 
either side by one of his wives, while his second wife sits at 
his feet. The earth is then shoveled in on them, and all the 
women are buried alive, with the exception of the second 
wife. To her custom is more merciful than to her com- 
panions, and grants the privilege of being killed before the 
huge grave is filled in. This being completed, a number of 



FROM THE BIBLE. 219 

male slives, sometimes forty or fifty, are slaughtered, and 
their blood poured over the grave, after which the river is 
allowed to resume its course." 

Would the infidel, who enjoys his u civilized 
home" within the influence of the Bible, wish 
to dwell and rear his children among the wild 
African tribes, many of whom live almost in a 
state of nudity % In these nations women hold 
a very inferior position. They are looked 
upon as but little if any better than cattle, and 
like them, liable to be bought arid sold. In 
some localities, where the husbands and wives 
go out to work, they go by different routes. 
The wives carry the burdens, and they build 
the houses in which husbands and wives 
dwell. 

There are some exceptions, as in the case of 
the daughter of the chief, but the rule is hard 
labor for the women. The man may have as 
many wives as he can support. The ordinary 
man generally has one, while the richer a man 
is the more wives he possesses. They abandon 
the care of the useless and aged, and sometimes 
kill these worn-out people. The Bechuanas 
have little regard for human life, especially 
that of a woman, and the husband may kill 
his wife if he likes without any particular no- 
tice being taken of it. Life is freely sacrificed 
among too many of these tribes. Instance 
the three great nations of Western Africa, the 
Es;bas, Ashantis and Dahomins. 



220 IXGERSOLL ANSWERED 

The wives in Congo are tolerably well off, except that 
they are severely beaten with the heavy hippopotamus hide 
whip. The women do not resent this treatment, and in" 
deed, unless a woman is soundly flogged occasionally, she 
thinks that her husband is neglecting her, and feels offend- 
ed accordingly. The King has the power of taking any 
woman for his wife, whether married or not, and, when she 
goes to the royal harem, her husband is judiciously exe- 
cuted.— Uncivilized Races of the World, vol. 1, page 616. 

In Ashantis the King is restricted in the number of his 
wives. But as the prohibition fixes the magic number of 
three thousand three hundred and thirty-three, he has not 
much to complain of with regard to the stringency of the 
law. — Ibid, page 556. 

Has "the condition of woman improved" 
in any region that lias been destitute of the 
Bible I Are there not "monarchs" who hold 
"in less esteem the rights of wives and 
mothers than the Jehovah of the Jews 8" 
Nothing but the Gospel of Christ will ever 
overturn heathen idols and abolish their cruel 
rites and ceremonies. 

In The Ghosts and other Lectures, (pages 
103-108,) Ingersoll ridicules the scriptural ac- 
count of the creation of man and woman, after 
which he gives the Hindoo account to show 
that woman is the equal of the man. He asks 
concerning the latter : 

Honor bright ; is not that the better and grander story? 
— Page 107. 

And yet in Brahminical writings we read : 

A woman is never fit for independence. Women have 
no business with the text of the Veda. * * * Sinful 



FROM THE BIBLE. 221 

women must be as foul as falsehood itself. This is a fixed 
law. 

Do we find any such debasing sentiment in 
the Christian Bible ? 

Ingersoll says this heathen Bible "was writ- 
ten about four thousand years before the 
other." (The Ghosts, page 104.) That is, be- 
fore the Christian Bible. If Brahma had 
"four thousand years" the start with his 
teachings, surely Hindoo women ought to be 
far above American ladies, while every intelli- 
gent infidel knows they fall infinitely below 
them. The exalted privileges woman enjoys 
in civilized lands is due to the influence of the 
Bible, and Ingersoll' s statement that " the con- 
dition of woman has improved just in propor- 
tion as man has lost confidence in the inspira- 
tion of the Bible," is an insult to, and ought 
to rouse the indignation of every pure woman 
on the face of the earth. 

"If we wish to find what the Bible thinks 
of woman" (and how Ingersoll misrepresents 
it,) " all that is necessary to do is to read it" 
and mark the effect of its teachings. 

' l Brain ' ' fails to humanize man, but the Gos ■ 
pel never. As soon as it begins to take root 
in any land, that moment the elevation of 
"woman" as well as man commences. 

The entrance of thy words giveth light. — Psa. 
cxix., 130. 



222 INGERSOLL ANSWERED 

INGERSOLL. 

According to the Old Testament, woman had to ask par- 
don, and had to be purified, for the crime of having borne 
sons and daughters. If in this world there is a figur« of per- 
fect purity, it is a mother holding in her thrilled and happy 
arms her child. — The Christian Religion, page 58. 

Read the twelfth chapter of Leviticus, and you will see 
that when a woman became the mother of a boy she was 
so unclean that she was not allowed to touch a hallowed 
thing, nor to enter the sanctuary for forty days. If the 
babe was a girl, then the mother was unfit for eighty days, 
to enter the house of God, or to touch the sacred tongs and 
snuffers. — Some Mistakes of Moses, page 130. 

BIBLE. 

If a woman have conceived seed, and borne a man 
child : then sne shall be unclean seven days according to 
the days of the separation for her infirmity shall she be un- 
clean. And in the eighth day the flesh of his foreskin shall 
be circumcised. And she shall then continue in the blood 
of her purifying three and thirty days : she shall touch no 
hallowed thing, nor come into the sanctuary, until the 
days of her purifying be fulfilled. But if she bear a maid 
child, then she shall be unclean two weeks, as in her sep- 
aration : and she shall continue in the blood of her purify- 
ing threescore and six days. And when the days of her 
purifying are fulfilled, for a son or for a daughter, she shall 
bring a lamb of the first year for a burnt offering, and a 
young pigeon, or a turtle-dove, for a sin offering, unto the 
door of the tabernacle of the congregation, unto the priest, 
who shall offer it before the Lord, and make an atonement 
for her ; and she shall be cleansed from the issue of her 
blood. — Lev. xii., 2-7. 

And God blessed Noah and his sons, and said unto them, 
Be fruitful and multiply, and replenish the earth. — Genesis 
ix., 1. 

Instead of the bible stating that a u woman 



FROM THE BIBLE. 223 

had to ask pardon for the crime" of having 
borne sons and daughters. God commanded 
the people to "replenish the earth" and it was 
considered a reproach (Gen. xxx., 23 ; Luke i., 
25 etc,) for a married woman not to bear a child, 
A man ought to " ask pardon " for such a slan- 
der on the sacred word. 

The law to which Ingersoll refers was the 
ceremonial law. The offering was an acknowl- 
edgment of a sinful nature, for which Christ 
offered himself, and the offerings brought were 
typical of the atonement of Christ, in which 
there was power to cleanse the sinful nature. 

The reason why the duration of the mothers unclean- 
ness is twice as long at a girl's birth as at a boy's would 
appear to be that the uncleanness attached to the child as 
well as to the mother, but as the boy was placed in a state of 
ceremonial purity at once by the act of circumcision, which 
took place on the eighth day, he thereupon ceased to be un- 
clean, and the mother's uncleanness alone remained, 
wheras in the case of a girl, both mother and child were un- 
clean during the period that the former was in the blood 
of her purifying, and therefore that period had to be doub- 
ly long — The Pulpit Commentary. 

In regard to the offering she was to bring : 

Two things are noticeable here, first that the burnt offer- 
ing, symbolizing self devotion, is far more costly and im- 
portant than the sin offering, which had not to be offered 
for any individual personal sin, but only for human sin, 
which had been indirectly manifested in his bodily condi- 
tion (Keil), and secondly, that in this one case the sin offer- 
ing appears to succeed the burnt offering instead of preced- 
ing it. No doubt the changed order is owing to the cause 



224 INGERSOLL ANSWERED 

just mentioned, the idea of sin, though, it may not be 
altogether put aside (Gen. iii.. 16) is not to be prominent, as 
though it were peculiar to to the special woman purified. — 
Ibid. 

Again it is a great disturbance of the system 
to have a child. Sound prudence dictated that 
the woman should remain undisturbed until 
every part came to its proper place. If women 
to-day would remain in a state of " purifica- 
tion " after child-birth for a longer period than 
multitudes do, many a mother's life would be 
prolonged. The Jewish laws, as much as infi- 
dels ridicule them, looked after the sanitary 
condition of the people as do the hiws of civil- 
ized countries of modern times. 

Women have been the slaves of slaves, and in my judg- 
ment it took millions of ages for a woman to come from 
the condition of abject slavery up to the institution of mar- 
riage. — The Ghosts and other Lectures, page 100. 

Certainly ! even though she " evolved " from 
the " fairest ape ! " and if under " evolution " 
she progresses so slowly, it will take ^millions 
of ages ' ' more for woman to reach her proper 
sphere in heathen lands without the aid of the 
Bible. 



FROM THE BIBLE. 225 

LX. 

WOKLD. 
1XGERSOLL. AGAINST HIMSELF. 

There is' no world, no star, no heaven, no hell in which 
gratitude is not a virtue. — The Christian Religion, 
page, 196. 

One world at at a time is my doctrine. — Whas Must We 
Do to be Saved, page 87. 

Love and virtue are the same the whole world round 
and justice is the same in every star. — Some Mistakes of 
Moses, page 257. 

About this world little is known — about another world, 
nothing. — The Ghosts and Other Lectures, page 139. 

If " one world at a time is his doctrine," and 
"about another world nothing is known," 
why attempt to tell us the state of things in 
the "stars," in "heaven," or in "hell?" 



LXI. 

"Why Do You Not Respond?" 

ikgersoll. 

Question. Why do you not respond to the occasional 
clergyman who replies to your lectures? 

Answer. In the first place, no clergyman has ever re- 
plied to my lectures. In the second place, no clergyman 
ever will reply to my lecmres. He does not answer my ar- 
guments — he attacks me ; and the replies that I have seen 
are not worth answering. They are far below the dignity 
of the question under discussion. — Ingersoll Catechised, 
page 8. 

29 



226 INGERSOLL ANSWERED 

Is it "below the dignity of the question" to 
reprove a man for misrepresentation ? 

Is it not "below the dignity" of even an in- 
fidel to "contradict" himself so many times? 

Are not these questions " worth answering &" 

INGERSOLL. 

You see I am not trying to answer individual ministers. I 
am attacking the whole body of superstition. I am trying 
to kill the entire dog, and I do not feel like wasting any 
time killing fleas on that dog. When the dog dies, the 
fleas will be out of provisions, and in that way we shall 
answer them all at once. — Ingersoll Catechised, page 9. 

Did truth ever "die" because^ it was "at- 
tacked" by falsehood ? 

" Truth crushed to earth will rise again, 
The eternal years of God are hers ; 
"Whilst error, wounded, writhes in pain 
And dies amid her worshippers." 

The "dog" is still alive, and w^ell — not a 
scratch on him. He has lived longer now than 
many other "dogs" who barked much louder 
than he, and he will live forever. Ingersoll 
complains that we attack him instead of his 
arguments. Do we attack him because we rid- 
dle his assertions 1 Ingersoll may be a very 
congenial man, kind in his family and honest 
so far as dollars and cents are concerned ; but 
we are obliged to trace his statements in refer- 
ence to the Bible to one of two sources : ig- 
norance, or intentional misrepresentation. If 
made in ignorance, would it not be advisable 



FROM THE BIBLE. 227 

to cease lecturing and writing against the Bible 
until better acquainted with its contents ? If 
made designing to deceive, he is guilty of 
base falsification, and is unworthy of the con- 
fidence of the public. Should a man make as 
many misrepretentations concerning any other 
book or fact, his testimony would not be cred- 
ited. 



LXIL 

Conclusion. 



Christianity and Infidelity cannot both be 
true. Suppose as christians we should realize 
at last that we are mistaken. Then if Inger- 
sollism is true, we are as safe as infidels are. 
But suppose Ingersollism is false, and the Bible 
is what it claims to be, what, then, will be the 
destiny of the unbeliever % Granting for a mo- 
ment the possibility of the falsity of Re- 
vealed Religion, is it not better to err on the 
safe side? Is there any " crime" in worship- 
ping God % Is it a sin to invoke his blessing 
upon our heads? Would the infidel prevent 
the christian plucking flowers on the hillsides 
of Revelation lest they should at some time 
wither in his hand ? But why reason thus since 
it has been settled ages since that unbelief leads 
to destruction and faith in Christ to Life Eter- 
nal? 



228 INGERSOLL ANSWERED. 

IXGERSOLL. 

Over the vast plain called life we are all travelers, and not 
one traveler is perfectly certain that he is going in the right 
direction. — The Gods, {Individuality,) page 177. 

Does he not here again undermine himself ? 
Would he have us leave what he considers an 
orthodox uncertainty for an infidel uncertainty? 
Is one uncertainty any better than another un- 
certainty ? If he is not " perfectly certain he 
is going in the right direction," would he have 
us go with him on an unknown road 2 Would 
he have us abandon the "we know" of the 
Bible for his " I don't know" of Atheism? 
As soon ask one who has been drinking at a 
crystal stream to turn from it and slake his 
thirst from some stagnant pool. Ingersoll often 
saws off the limb on which he is sitting under 
pretense of pruning the tree. He repeatedly 
destroys the foundation of his own philosophy, 
and then desires Christian people to come over 
and sit down with him amid the desolate ruins. 
In the language of Neliemiah, let every true 
believer reply : 

I AM DOING A GREAT WORK, SO THAT I CANNOT COME 

down. — Neh. vi., 3. 



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A very interesting Illustrated book, fine cloth, beveled 
edges, postpaid, 50c. Paper, postpaid, 25c. 



STRUCK BY LIGHTNING! 

ILLUSTRATED. 

Thrilling story of Religious experience and Eeal Life. 

"Thrilling as a Romance and true to the last syllable. 
No private library or Sunday School should be without a 
copy." — American Wesley an. 

12 mo., beveled covers, black and gold stamping, extra 
cloth, 75c. postpaid. 



"THINGS NEW AND OLD," OR HEART PURITY. 

In cloth, 40c. postpaid. 

For any of the above, address 

Rev. O. M. OWEN, 

Utica, N. Y. 



Chamberlain Weekly Register, 

Brule Co., Dakota. 
The official paper of the county. 

G. R. OWEN, Editor. 
Send postal for sample copy. 



RD-17 






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